Systems and methods for providing supplemental aqueous thermal energy

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for collecting, storing, and conveying aqueous thermal energy are disclosed. In a particular embodiment, a floating film retains solar energy in a volume of water located under the film. A series of curtains hanging from a bottom surface of the film define a passage between a periphery of the film and a center of the film to direct the heated water at the center of the film. The heated water is circulated to deliver the heat to a dissociation reactor and/or donor substance. The donor is conveyed to the reactor and dissociated.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No.13/584,773 filed Aug. 13, 2012, which claims priority to U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/523,277, filed on Aug. 12, 2011, both ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. To theextent the foregoing applications and/or any other materialsincorporated herein by reference conflict with the present disclosure,the preset disclosure controls.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present application is directed generally to systems and methods forcollecting thermal energy from water (e.g., ocean water), storing thatenergy, and providing thermal or other forms of energy to otherlocations. In particular embodiments, the thermal energy is collectedunder a film disposed on the ocean surface and is used to drive areactor that separates a hydrogen donor (e.g., methane) into hydrogenand donor molecules (e.g., carbon).

BACKGROUND

The efficiency of a heating process can be enhanced, and costs ofcapital equipment and operations lowered, when solar energy is used tosupplement the heating process. Collecting, storing, and using solar orthermal energy on an ocean-based platform has proven difficult due toweather, corrosion, biofouling and the costs associated with traditionalsolar energy collecting equipment, such as solar cells.

In light of the foregoing and other drawbacks currently associated withthe collection, storage, and use of solar and thermal energy in an oceanenvironment, there remains a need for an efficient system and method forcollecting solar energy received by the ocean, and for storing largequantities of thermal energy in an ocean environment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partially schematic, partially cross-sectional illustrationof a reactor system having a thermochemical processing (TCP) reactorconfigured in accordance with an embodiment of the presently disclosedtechnology.

FIG. 2 is a partially schematic, cross-sectional illustration of a TCPreactor system coupled to a gas collection and extraction system mountedon the ocean floor in accordance with an embodiment of the presentlydisclosed technology.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional schematic view of a portion of an embodimentshown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view illustrating further details of anembodiment shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a partially schematic, cross-sectional illustration of furtherdetails of an embodiment shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 7A is a partially schematic, partially cross-sectional illustrationof a system having a reactor with transmissive surfaces in accordancewith an embodiment of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 7B is a partially schematic, cut-away illustration of a portion ofa reactor having transmissive surfaces positioned annularly inaccordance with an embodiment of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 8A is a partially schematic, partially cross-sectional illustrationof a system having a reactor with a re-radiation component in accordancewith an embodiment of the presently disclosed technology.

FIG. 8B illustrates absorption characteristics as a function ofwavelength for a representative reactant and re-radiation material, inaccordance with an embodiment of the presently disclosed technology.

FIG. 8C is an enlarged, partially schematic illustration of a portion ofthe reactor shown in FIG. 8A having a re-radiation component configuredin accordance with a particular embodiment of the presently disclosedtechnology.

FIG. 9A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a thermal transfer deviceconfigured in accordance with an embodiment of the present technology.

FIGS. 9B and 9C are schematic cross-sectional views of thermal transferdevices configured in accordance with other embodiments of the presenttechnology.

FIG. 9D is a schematic cross-sectional view of a thermal transfer deviceoperating in a first direction in accordance with a further embodimentof the present technology, and FIG. 9E is a schematic cross-sectionalview of the thermal transfer device of FIG. 9D operating in a seconddirection opposite the first direction.

FIG. 9F is a partially schematic illustration of a heat pump suitablefor transferring heat in accordance with an embodiment of the presenttechnology.

FIG. 10A is a partially schematic illustration of a system having asolar concentrator that directs heat to a reactor vessel in accordancewith an embodiment of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 10B is a partially schematic, enlarged illustration of a portion ofa reactor vessel, including additional features for controlling thedelivery of solar energy to the reaction zone in accordance with anembodiment of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 10C is a partially schematic, cross-sectional illustration of anembodiment of a reactor vessel having annularly positioned productremoval and reactant delivery systems in accordance with an embodimentof the disclosure.

FIG. 11A is a partially schematic, partial cross-sectional illustrationof a system having a solar concentrator configured in accordance with anembodiment of the present technology.

FIG. 11B is a partially schematic, partial cross-sectional illustrationof an embodiment of the system shown in FIG. 1 with the solarconcentrator configured to emit energy in a cooling process, inaccordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 11C is a partially schematic, partial cross-sectional illustrationof a system having a movable solar concentrator dish in accordance withan embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 12 is a partially schematic illustration of a system having areactor with facing substrates for operation in a batch mode inaccordance with an embodiment of the presently disclosed technology.

FIG. 13 is a partially schematic, partially cross-sectional illustrationof a reactor system that receives energy from a combustion engine andreturns reaction products to the engine in accordance with an embodimentof the presently disclosed technology.

FIG. 14 is a partially schematic, cross-sectional illustration of areactor having interacting endothermic and exothermic reaction zones inaccordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

1. Overview

Several examples of devices, systems and methods for extracting gasesand conducting reactions in thermochemical processing (TCP) reactors aredescribed below. The extraction systems and TCP reactors can be used inaccordance with multiple operational modes to access hydrogen donorsfrom lakes, seas and/or other bodies of water, including liquids, solidsand gases, and dissociate the hydrogen donor into hydrogen and otherdonor products. The dissociated products can be used to produceelectrical energy, hydrogen fuels, carbon products, and/or other usefulend products. Accordingly, the TCP reactors can produce clean-burningfuel and can re-purpose carbon and/or other constituents for use indurable goods, including polymers and carbon composites. Although thefollowing description provides many specific details of representativeexamples in a manner sufficient to enable a person skilled in therelevant art to practice, make and use them, several of the details,processes, and advantages described below may not be necessary topractice certain examples of the technology. Additionally, thetechnology may include other examples that are within the scope of theclaims but are not described here in detail. Particular embodiments aredescribed below in the context of ocean-based systems. In otherembodiments, systems that operate under generally the same principalsare deployed in bodies of fresh water, e.g., lakes.

References throughout this specification to “one example,” “an example,”“one embodiment” or “an embodiment” mean that a particular feature,structure, process or characteristic described in connection with theexample is included in at least one example of the present technology.Thus, the occurrences of the phrases “in one example,” “in an example,”“one embodiment” or “an embodiment” in various places throughout thisspecification are not necessarily all referring to the same example.Furthermore, the particular features, structures, routines, steps orcharacteristics may be combined in any of a number of suitable mannersin one or more examples of the technology. The headings provided hereinare for convenience only and are not intended to limit or interpret thescope or meaning of the disclosed technology.

Certain embodiments of the technology described below may take the formof computer-executable instructions, including routines executed by aprogrammable computer or controller. Those skilled in the relevant artwill appreciate that the technology can be practiced on computer orcontroller systems other than those shown and described below. Thetechnology can be embodied in a special-purpose computer, controller, ordata processor that is specifically programmed, configured orconstructed to perform one or more of the computer-executableinstructions described below. Accordingly, the terms “computer” and“controller” as generally used herein refer to any data processor andcan include Internet appliances, hand-held devices, multi-processorsystems, programmable consumer electronics, network computers,mini-computers, and the like. The technology can also be practiced indistributed environments where tasks or modules are performed by remoteprocessing devices that are linked through a communications network.Aspects of the technology described below may be stored or distributedon computer-readable media, including magnetic or optically readable orremovable computer discs as well as media distributed electronicallyover networks. In particular embodiments, data structures andtransmissions of data particular to aspects of the technology are alsoencompassed within the scope of the present technology. The presenttechnology encompasses methods of both programming computer-readablemedia to perform particular steps, and executing the steps.

2. Representative TCP Reactors and TCP Reactor System

FIG. 1 is a partially schematic illustration of a representative TCPreactor 100 and reactor system 110. Further representative TCP reactorsand reactor systems are described in detail in U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/027,208, titled “CHEMICAL PROCESSES AND REACTORS FOREFFICIENTLY PRODUCING HYDROGEN FUELS AND STRUCTURAL MATERIALS, ANDASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS,” filed Feb. 14, 2011, incorporatedherein by reference and referred to as the '208 Application. Asillustrated, the representative reactor 100 has a reactor vessel 102configured and insulated to provide control of reaction conditions,including an elevated temperature and/or pressure within the interior ofa reactor chamber 104, sufficient to reform or dissociate a donorsubstance 106 introduced into the reactor 100. The reforming ordissociation processes are non-combustive processes and can be conductedin accordance with the parameters described in the '208 Applicationpreviously incorporated herein by reference. The reactor system 110 caninclude heat exchangers, heaters, piping, valves, sensors, ionizers, andother equipment (not shown in FIG. 1) to facilitate introducing thedonor substance 106 into the TCP reactor 100, to facilitate reforming,respeciating and/or dissociating the donor substance 106 within thereactor 100, and to facilitate extracting dissociated and/or reformedcomponents of the donor substance 106 from the reactor 100.

The reactor chamber 104 includes one or more donor inlets 108 forreceiving the donor substance 106 from a donor source 112. In particularembodiments, the donor substance 106 is a hydrogen donor and can be asolid, a liquid, and in further embodiments a gaseous hydrocarbon, e.g.,methane gas. The donor substance 106 can include other carbon-basedcompounds, e.g., ethane, propane or butane, along with cetane and/oroctane rated compounds. In still further embodiments, the donorsubstance 106 can include a lower grade constituent, e.g., off-gradecetane or octane rated hydrocarbons, or wet alcohol. In at least someembodiments, the donor substance can include compounds other thanhydrocarbon fuels (e.g., carbohydrates, fats, alcohols, esters,cellulose and/or others). In yet further embodiments, the hydrogen donor106 can include hydrogen atoms in combination with constituents otherthan carbon. For example, nitrogenous compounds (e.g., ammonia and/orurea) can serve a similar hydrogen donor function. Examples of othersuitable hydrogen donors are described in the '208 Application,previously incorporated herein by reference. In yet further embodiments,the donor substance can donate constituents other than hydrogen. Forexample, the reactor 100 can dissociate oxygen from CO₂ and/or anotheroxygen donor, or the reactor 100 can dissociate a halogen donor. Thedonor substance 106 can be in a gaseous or liquid form that isdistributed into the reactor chamber 104 through donor inlet nozzles114. Typically, the donor substance 106 is provided as a vapor or gas.In other embodiments, the donor substance 106 can be a liquid or vaporthat undergoes a gas phase transition in the reactor chamber 104.

In the reactor chamber 104, the donor substance 106 undergoesreformation, partial oxidation and/or a non-combustion-baseddissociation reaction and dissociates into at least two components,e.g., a gas 120 and a solid 122. In other embodiments, the dissociatedcomponents can take the form of a liquid and a gas, or two gases,depending on the donor substance used and the dissociation processparameters. In further embodiments, the donor substance 106 candissociate into three or more dissociated components in the form of asolid, gas, or liquid, or a mixture of these phases. In a particularembodiment, methane is the donor substance, and the dissociatedcomponents are carbon and hydrogen.

When carbon is a dissociated component, it can be disposed as a solid122 on an internal donor solid (e.g., carbon) collector 124 within thereactor chamber 104, and when hydrogen is a dissociated component, itcan be in the form of a gas 120 within the reaction chamber 104. Thecarbon can be transferred from the internal collector 124 to anindustrial manufacturing or packaging plant via a storage tank or otherreceptacle 115 as shown by arrow 121. The hydrogen gas can react withcarbon dioxide from sources such as a combustion chamber 140 and/or thedonor source 112 for production of fluids such as selected alcoholsand/or water. In other embodiments, the hydrogen and carbon can beremoved from the reaction chamber 104 together (e.g., in gaseous formssuch as H₂ and CO and/or CO₂ and/or CH₃OH and/or C₂H₅OH, among others)and separated outside the reaction chamber 104. Substances such ashydrogen 117, carbon monoxide 127, and water 129 can be collected byselective filtration, pressure or temperature swing adsorption and/orphase separation processes in separation/collection subsystems (e.g.,collectors) 131 a, 131 b and 131 c. Any remaining constituents can becollected at an additional collector 128. Products at elevatedtemperature can exchange heat with the donor substance (e.g., feedstocks) 106 to cool the outgoing products and heat the incomingreactants. As described above, in many of these embodiments, the donorsubstance functions as a hydrogen donor, and is dissociated intomolecules of hydrogen (or a hydrogen compound) and molecules of thedonor (or a donor compound).

In addition to removing the reaction products to access the products forother purposes, the reaction products can be removed in a manner and/orat a rate that facilitates the reaction taking place in the reactorchamber 104. For example, solid products (e.g., carbon) can be removedvia a conveyor, and fluids (gases and/or liquids) can be removed via aselective filter or membrane to avoid also removing reactants. As theproducts are removed, they can exchange heat with the incomingreactants, as discussed above. In addition to pre-heating the reactants,this process can contract and/or change the phase of the products, whichcan further expedite the removal process and/or control (e.g., reduce)the pressure in the reactor chamber 104. In a particular embodiment,condensing water and/or alcohols from the product stream can achievethis purpose. In any of these embodiments, removing the reactantsquickly rather than slowly can increase the rate and/or efficiency ofthe reaction conducted in the chamber 104.

In at least some embodiments, substances such as energy crops, forestslash, landfill waste and/or other organic wastes can be transferredinto the reactor chamber 104, e.g., via the donor inlet 108, and can beanaerobically heated to produce gases such as methane, water vapor,hydrogen, and carbon monoxide. This process and/or other processes cancreate ash, which, if allowed to accumulate, can interfere withradiative heating and/or other processes within the reactor chamber 104.Accordingly, an ash residue 123 can be collected at an ash collector 125and transferred to an external ash collector or receptacle 119 (asindicated by arrow 113) for various uses such as returning traceminerals to improve crop productivity from hydroponic operations orsoil, or as a constituent in concrete formulas. The ash collector 125can be cooled and/or positioned to selectively attract ash deposits asopposed to other products and/or reactants. In at least someembodiments, the ash may also contain char, which can also be collected.In general, the amount of ash and/or char introduced to and removed fromthe reactor 100 depends in part on the composition of the donor 106,with relatively simple and/or pure donors (e.g., pure methane) producinglittle or no ash and char. In any of these embodiments, an advantageassociated with collecting the ash within the reactor chamber 104 ratherthan from the products exiting the chamber is that the ash is lesslikely to contaminate, foul and/or otherwise interfere with theefficient operation of the reactor 100. Benefits of the presentembodiments include an increased tolerance regarding the rate with whichthe ash 123 is produced and/or removed from the reactor chamber 104. Asa result, the ash may have little or no effect on the reaction rate inthe chamber 104, and so may not be controlled as closely as the productremoval rate.

The reaction chamber 104 includes one or more reaction chamber exitports 126 (one is shown schematically in FIG. 1) through which gaseousor liquid dissociated components can be removed and delivered forsubsequent processing or containment. The donor inlet nozzle 114, donorsolid collector 124, and reaction chamber exit port 126 can bepositioned to enhance (e.g., maximize) the movement of the donorsubstance 106 and dissociated components 120 and 122 through thereaction chamber 104, so as to facilitate accumulating and removing thedissociated components from the TCP reactor 100. The TCP reactor 100 canalso include one or more solid collector exit ports 130 (two are shownin FIG. 1) through which the solid dissociated component 122 and/or ash123 can be removed from the reactor 100. Representative carbon-basedproducts from the reactor 100 include carbon, silicon carbide,halogenated hydrocarbons, graphite, and graphene. These products can befurther processed, e.g., to form carbon films, ceramics, semiconductordevices, polymers and/or other structures. Accordingly, the products ofthe reaction conducted in the reactor 100 can be architecturalconstructs or structural building blocks that can be used as is or afterfurther processing. Other suitable products are described in the '208Application.

As described above, the TCP reactor 100 can be configured to facilitatethe ingress of the donor substance 106 into the reactor chamber 104, andto permit the egress of materials, including the dissociated components120 and 122 from the reactor chamber, e.g., as summarized in Equation 1below. The TCP reactor 100 can also receive additional thermal energyprovided by a heater 132 via concentrated solar energy or electricheating or by circulating heat transfer fluids. At times when solar,wind, hydroelectric, geothermal or another off-peak energy is availablein excess of the demand for operating the system 110, energy (e.g., heatenergy) can be stored in a heat battery or transferred into a heatedwater storage medium. In particular embodiments, the TCP reactor 100,and the TCP reactor system 110 as a whole, can be configured to permitthe ingress or egress of additional substances and/or energy into or outof the reaction chamber 104. These additional substances and/or energiescan be applied to modify the operation of the TCP reactor 100 so as toaccept different donor substances, to provide different dissociatedand/or reformed components, to provide greater control over thedissociation reaction, and/or to provide greater efficiency in theoperation of the TCP reactor system.

In the representative system of FIG. 1, a reactant distributor 134 foradditional reactants e.g., water (steam), is disposed in the reactorchamber 104 to provide supplemental heat and/or constituents. Water inthe reaction chamber 104 can also participate in reactions such asreforming steam and methane into the products shown in Equation 2 below.Accordingly, Equations 1 and 2 illustrate representative dissociationand reformation processes without water (or another oxygen donor) as areactant and with water (or another oxygen donor, e.g., air) as areactant:CH₄+HEAT₁→C+2H₂  (1)CH₄+H₂O+HEAT₂→CO+3H₂  (2)

In a particular embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the combustion chamber 140directs combustion products 142 into the reaction chamber 100 through acombustion product inlet 144 as indicated by arrow 143. Theheat-emitting combustion products 142 pass through the reactor 100 so asto provide additional heat to the reactor chamber 104 and exit via anoutlet 146. The combustion products inlet 144 and outlet 146 can bejoined by a pipe or conduit 148 that facilitates transferring heat fromthe combustion products 142 into the reaction chamber 104 and that, inparticular embodiments, allows some or all of the combustion products142 to enter the reaction chamber 104 through a permeable ortransmissive surface of the conduit 148. Such products can include steamand/or oxides of carbon, nitrogen, and/or oxygen, and such surfaces aredescribed further in U.S. application Ser. No. 13/026,996, titled“REACTOR VESSELS WITH TRANSMISSIVE SURFACES FOR PRODUCING HYDROGEN-BASEDFUELS AND STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS, AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS,”filed Feb. 14, 2011 and incorporated herein by reference. Accordingly,the combustion products 142 can supplement the donor substance 106 as asource of hydrogen and/or donor molecules. In further embodiments, thereactor 100 can also include one or more heat exchangers (e.g.,counterflow heat exchangers) as described in the '208 Application. Inany of these embodiments, sufficient heat is transmitted to the reactor100 to enable the non-combustion dissociation reaction that separatesthe donor substance 106 into the donor-based component and hydrogen orhydrogen-based component.

Reactors having any of the foregoing configurations can be used toprocess substances obtained from a number of liquid, vapor, and/or gasproducing sites. Representative sites include a landfill where organicaction has produced recoverably valuable quantities of methane and/orcarbon dioxide, the sea floor (holding frozen methane hydrates subjectto mobilization such as via thawing), permafrost, deposits of degradinglimestone that release carbon dioxide, anaerobically digested paperand/or paper products, and stranded well gas. Reactors processing thegases provided from such sites, and/or other sites, require heat tofacilitate the non-combustion reaction, dissociation, and/or hydrolyticreactions. The necessary heat may be obtained in whole or in part fromsolar, wind, geothermal and/or other sources. Representative techniquesfor providing energy to a TCP reactor in an aqueous environment aredescribed below with reference to FIGS. 2-6.

3. Representative Aqueous Solar-Heated TCP Reactor Systems

In particular embodiments, reactors having any of the foregoingconfigurations can be used to process gases collected from the oceanfloor, such as methane released by anaerobic digestion and/or themelting of methane hydrates from the ocean floor. Systems and methodsfor extracting, collecting, and processing gases from the ocean floor,including methane from methane hydrates, are described further in U.S.application Ser. No. 13/584,708, titled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOREXTRACTING AND PROCESSING GASES FROM SUBMERGED SOURCES,” filedconcurrently herewith and incorporated herein by reference. Reactorsthat process gases with a non-combustion chemical process requiresubstantial amounts of heat. The heat can be obtained from the ocean andcan be supplemented with a variety of additional suitable energysources. This technique may be referred to herein as “Supplemental OceanThermal Energy Conversion,” or SOTEC.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a particular heating technique may be used inassociation with extracting and collecting clathrates, e.g., hydrates.Particular embodiments include obtaining methane from methane hydrateson or below the lake or ocean floor, and then dissociating the methaneto produce carbon and hydrogen. Particular embodiments are describedbelow in the context of oceanic methane hydrates. In other embodiments,methane hydrates are obtained from lakes or bodies of water, and methodsand systems in accordance with still further embodiments includeprocessing other clathrates.

As schematically shown in FIG. 2, a technique for extracting andcollecting methane from a donor substance 106 (e.g., methane hydrates)on the ocean floor 202 includes positioning a membrane 206 over a regionof interest 200 on the ocean floor 202 to collect methane gas and/orother fluids (e.g., extracted fluid 250). As illustrated, the extractedfluid 250 (e.g., methane gas and/or carbon dioxide and/or water) isprovided to a TCP reactor system 110 carried by a support 300(illustrated as a barge or other floating structure) via an extractionpipe or conduit 234. Several additional details of the design andoperation of representative embodiments of the membrane 206, extractionpipe or conduit 234, TCP reactor system 110, and related structures arefurther described in U.S. application Ser. No. 13/584,708, titled“SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR EXTRACTING AND PROCESSING GASES FROM SUBMERGEDSOURCES,” filed concurrently herewith and previously incorporated hereinby reference.

As illustrated schematically in FIG. 2, an upper portion 238 of theextraction pipe 234 is coupled via a suitable mixed-phase motor (e.g., awater turbine-generator) 252 to one or more expanders such as a turbine254 that further expands and extracts work from the flow of theextracted fluid 250. The turbine 254 may be coupled to a pump,compressor, or generator 256 to provide shaft or electrical power tocomponents carried by the support 300, or to power other systems. Acontroller 258 receives information from various sensors (not shown) andcontrols the operation of the turbine-generator 252 (for converting thekinetic and expansion energy of the mixed gas, vapor and liquid flow),the gas turbine 254, the generator 256, and/or other system componentsso as to provide the pressurized fluid 250 at a desired pressure andflow rate as the fluid exits the turbine 254 at a turbine exit port 260.Prior to entering the turbine 254 at an entrance port 262, a conduit 264between the upper pipe portion 238 and the turbine 254 may direct thepressurized fluid 250 through a filtration and separation unit 266. Thefiltration and separation unit 266 removes objectionable matter (such asice, sediment, debris and bacteria) that is delivered through the upperportion 238, so that clean pressurized fluid 250 is delivered to theturbine 254. A first exit port 267 of the filtration and separation unit266 provides egress for particles, debris, bacteria and/or organicmatter separated from the pressurized fluid 250, and a second exit port269 provides egress for ice and/or water separated from the pressurizedfluid 250. A third exit port 268 of the filtration and separation unit266 provides the cleansed pressurized fluid 250 to the turbine 254 andmay, in addition, provide the pressurized fluid 250 directly to astorage tank 271, where the hydrocarbons such as methane and other gasesintermixed with the methane can be stored.

After the expanded gas exits the turbine 254 at the turbine exit port260, it is routed through conduits 270 to a three-way valve 272 that iscontrolled to direct the gas to one or more TCP reactors. As illustratedin FIG. 2, a first TCP reactor 280 is configured to process a first gascomposition that includes a first donor substance, and a second TCPreactor 282 is configured to process a second gas composition thatincludes a second donor substance. The product(s) from the reactors 280,282 (e.g., hydrogen or a hydrogen compound, and a hydrogen donor ordonor compound) are directed to one or more collectors 290 via one ormore product conduits 291. A gas composition sensor 284 communicatingwith the conduits 270 upstream of the reactors 280, 282 provides data tothe controller 258 regarding the composition of the pressurized fluid250, and the controller 258 routes the fluid to the first or second TCPreactors 280, 282 based at least in part on information received fromthe gas composition sensor 284. In the representative embodiment of FIG.2, the first fluid composition is methane that is relatively pure orthat has only trace amounts of other constituents, and the second fluidcomposition is a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide. The compositionsensor 284 can include various capabilities such as the ability todetect hydrocarbon, water, and carbon dioxide. It is believed thatcertain regions of interest 200 will provide nearly pure hydrocarbonssuch as methane and water, while other regions of interest (e.g., thathave significant levels of bacteria in the process of digesting organicmaterial) will provide a mixture of organic substances, methane, water,and carbon dioxide. It is further believed that particular regions ofinterest 200 may provide fluid compositions that vary between the firstand second fluid compositions due to depth or layer compositionvariations and/or seasonal changes that affect the type of depositionand/or activity of the methane and/or carbon dioxide-producing bacteria.In the representative embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the first TCP reactor280 is configured to process methane to produce carbon and hydrogen, andthe second TCP reactor 282 is configured to process methane and carbondioxide to produce carbon, hydrogen, and/or one or more other compounds,for example, methanol or ethanol. A representative reactor and methodfor producing methane is described in further detail in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/027,060, titled “REACTOR VESSELS WITH PRESSUREAND HEAT TRANSFER FEATURES FOR PRODUCING HYDROGEN-BASED FUELS ANDSTRUCTURAL ELEMENTS, AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS,” filed Feb. 14,2011, incorporated herein by reference.

FIG. 2 also illustrates a representative aqueous thermal energy heatingsystem 301 that includes one or more films 302 forming a film assembly305 with an upper surface 302 a and a lower surface 302 b. The film 302and/or assemblies that include the film 302 can float at, on or near theocean surface 240, e.g., due to lower density substances in confinedfluid channels, pockets, or cells 304 (referred to generally as cells)formed in or by the film 302. The cells 304 can be fully closed in someembodiments and can be open (e.g., to form channels) in others. In stillfurther embodiments, the film assembly can include valves and/or otherdevices that are used to control the velocity of the constituents into,out of and/or through the cells 304, and/or the composition of theconstituents. In certain embodiments, these cells 304 can include one ormore rows of upper cells 304 a (one is shown in FIG. 2) and one or morerows of lower cells 304 b (one is shown in FIG. 2). The upper cells 304a can carry a lower density fluid including, e.g., fresh water, carbondioxide, nitrogen, and/or air. The cells 304 a, 304 b may have the sameor different cross sections and may contain or provide flow passagewaysfor the same or different fluids such as air, carbon dioxide, nitrogen,oxygen, air, fresh water, or sea water.

As shown in FIG. 3, which is a schematic plan view of the embodiment ofFIG. 2, the film 302 has an inner perimeter 302 c and an outer perimeter302 d, with the support 300 disposed within an area bounded by the innerperimeter 302 c. In the representative embodiment, the water surfacearea covered by the film 302 is significantly greater than the watersurface area covered by the support 300.

Returning to FIG. 2, one or more curtains 306 hang from the film 302,e.g., proximate to inner and outer perimeters 302 c and 302 d, andextend to a selected depth in the ocean, with weights 308 holding thecurtains 306 in an approximately vertical orientation. In a particularembodiment, an inner curtain 306 a extends around some or all of theinner perimeter 302 c, and an outer curtain 306 b extends around some orall of the outer perimeter 302 d. An imaginary plane 310 extendingbetween the weights 308 of the inner and outer curtains 306 a and 306 bdefines a significant volume 312 of ocean water bounded by the film 302on the top, the imaginary plane 310 on the bottom, and the inner andouter curtains 306 a and 306 b on the sides.

The film assembly 305 provides a structure that can receive, transmit,and deliver heat to the volume 312 of ocean water to increase thetemperature of the volume 312. The film assembly 305 also functions asan insulator and/or a barrier against mixing with cold water to retainheat in the volume 312 of ocean water. The film assembly 305 can alsofunction as a barrier between the water volume 312 and the atmosphereabove upper surface 302 a. Accordingly, the film assembly 305 caninsulate the water volume 312 from heat losses due to evaporation ofliquid films and droplets above the film assembly 305 and can inhibitevaporation at the ocean surface 240 covered by film assembly 305, asthe phase change associated with evaporation would otherwise have acooling effect on the water volume 312. The inner and outer peripheralcurtains 306 a and 306 b, and the weights 308, provide a structure thatcan contain the water volume 312 under the film assembly 305sufficiently by inhibiting ocean currents and wave action that mayotherwise agitate the water volume 312 causing mixing between the watervolume 312 and cooler ocean water located under the water volume 312 oradjacent to the inner and outer peripheral curtains 306 a and 306 b. Itis believed that the water volume 312 is unlikely to mix with colderocean water located below it because the warmer water volume 312 willtend to rise toward the ocean surface 240, and because of thesignificant mass of the water contained within the volume 312. Forembodiments that collect, in the water volume 312, (a) lower densityfresh water and/or (b) salt water with a relatively low salt content,above the higher salt content sea water, an additional separation forceis provided by the buoyancy of the fresh/low salt content water.

In a particular embodiment, the lower surface of the film assembly 305can provide crop support such as an algae growth surface, as can thecurtains 306. The algae is expected to further insulate the water volume312 from the surrounding colder ocean water. The algae can be harvestedand processed (e.g., anaerobically digested) to produce additionalproducts. Accordingly, the reactor system 310 can include an anaerobicdigester 295 and/or an electrolyzer 296 to process the algae and providefurther inputs (e.g., hydrogen and carbon-based donors) to the reactors280, 282. Algae growth can be promoted by supplying carbon dioxideand/or other products from the reactors 280, 282 to the cells 304 a, 304b and/or the water volume 312. Carbon dioxide also traps solar radiationto increase the efficiency of solar gain at the thermal energy heatingsystem 301. Methane and/or carbon dioxide produced by the anaerobicdigester 295 and/or the electrolyzer 296 in particular embodiments canbe added to the cells 304 and/or to a radiation trapping gas space 303between the film assembly 305 and the water volume 312.

In some embodiments, the radiation trapping inventory of gases in thespace 303 between the film assembly 305 and water volume 312 can beadaptively varied to provide considerable gas storage capacity and/orsuperheating of the contents. Accordingly, this gas can serve as aneffective thermal flywheel against cooling of the adjacent waterinventories above and/or below during the night and/or under otherconditions when little or no solar gain is possible. The controller 258can be programmed to receive system status data, weather forecasts(including temperature, wind chill, and solar insolation, etc.) anddetermine if the thermal flywheel benefits are best achieved by aparticular gas (such as methane or carbon dioxide) or a mixture of suchgases. The controller 258 can also monitor and/or control other systemparameters, including the volume of the radiation trapping gasinventory, the amount of superheating, the projected demand for heat,the velocity of constituents in the inventory volumes traveling throughthe assembly 305 and/or a rate at which replacement or additionalinventory is added to or received from the heated water volume 312. Thecontroller 258 can also control the composition of the constituents inthe assembly 305 based on environmental and/or other factors. Forexample, when additional thermal insulation is required, carbon dioxidein the assembly 305 can be replaced with methane. The velocities ofconstituents in the assembly can be controlled based in part on solarinsolation. For example, the constituent velocities can be increasedduring the day (at times of high solar insolation) to increase the heatcapture rate, and decreased at night and/or at other times during whichsolar insolation is relatively low.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional schematic view of a portion of arepresentative film assembly 305 including schematic representations ofcomponents that interact with the film assembly 305, one or more gasradiation trapping and/or insulation inventories (e.g., the gas space303), and/or the water volume 312. Some of these components may bemounted on or otherwise carried by the support 300, a portion of whichis visible in FIG. 4. As illustrated, the film assembly 305 floats at ornear the ocean surface 240 due to the buoyancy of the film assemblyitself, and/or constituents in the cells 304. In a particularembodiment, the cells 304 include multiple first-fifth cells 304 a-304 ehaving channel shapes, arranged one above the other, and formed withinor by the film(s) 302 between the film upper surface 302 a and the filmlower surface 302 b. The film(s) 302 can include multiple layers thatdefine the cells 304 a-e and/or provide for the gas space 303. The uppersurface 302 a can be transparent to solar energy so as to permitsunlight to pass through the films individually and/or collectively towarm the water in selected channels and/or volume 312 located below. Thefilm(s) 302 and the fluid cells 304 a-e can also function as circulationchannels and/or insulators between the water volume 312 and theatmosphere above film upper surface 302 a. The construction of the cellshas many options depending upon the ambient water currents, waves, andtemperature, the available solar energy, wind chill extremes, andrelated interactions. In a particular embodiment, successively deepercells contain successively denser constituents. For example, thetop-most cells 304 a can carry air, and successively deeper cells 304b-e can carry nitrogen, carbon dioxide, methane and fresh water,respectively. Seawater can be located below the fifth cell 304 e, or canbe carried in an additional sixth cell (not shown) located below thefifth cell 304 e.

A representative film assembly 305 can be weighted downwardly by weights308 mounted on the peripheral curtains 306 a, 306 b (collectively,curtains 306). The film assembly 305 can also be weighted by innerweights 309 hanging from intermediate curtains 307, e.g., distributedevenly along the film lower surface 302 b. The film assembly 305 and thecurtains 306 and 307 can be made from the same flexible polymer or fromdifferent materials. In a particular embodiment, the polymer can beproduced from waste plastic materials that may be found in or floatingon the ocean surface. In other embodiments, the film assembly 305 can beformed from carbon products that are output by the reactors 280, 282(FIG. 2) in addition to or in lieu of the recycled polymers.

The weights 308 and 309 together counter the buoyancy provided by thefluid channels or pockets 304 and provide stability to the film assembly305. The stability of the film assembly 305 can be enhanced withconventional tethers (not shown) securing portions of the film assembly305 or the curtains 306 and 307 to the ocean floor, impedance anchors,or to other stable structures. In a representative embodiment, thebuoyancy of each of the weights 308 and 309 is adjustable by virtue of acurtain fluid pocket receptacle or pocket 311 mounted adjacent to eachweight 308, 309. The curtain fluid pockets 311 are normally filled withair or another fluid (e.g., a gas) to counter the pull of each weight308 and 309. When a sufficient number of the curtain fluid pockets 311are deflated or filled with fresh or sea water, via tubing connected toa valve (not shown), the buoyancy of each weight is reduced sufficientlyto cause the film 302 to sink below the ocean surface.

The controller 258 can direct the operation of fluid pump or compressor(not shown) to adjust the buoyancy of each of the gas inventories in thesystem (e.g., in the pockets 311, the cells 304, and/or the gas space303) relative to the weights 308 and 309. In particular embodiments, thecontroller 258 receives inputs 258 a from pressure sensors at the airpockets 311, and controls the compressor via outputs 258 b based atleast in part on data received from the sensors. In this manner, thecontroller 258 can submerge the film 302 (e.g., when necessary due tootherwise damaging wave action or storms) and refloat the film assembly305 when conditions become calmer. During normal operation, water can beremoved from the water volume 312 and directed to an evaporator 324, aswill be described in greater detail later.

FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of the film assembly 305 shown in FIGS.2, 3, and/or 4, with optional additional details of the curtains 306,307. As illustrated, the inner curtain 306 a is positioned at or nearthe film inner perimeter 302 c, and the outer curtain 306 b ispositioned at or near the film outer perimeter 302 d. The intermediatecurtains 307 may be radial in some embodiments or in certain otherembodiments, intermediate curtains 307 are distributed in a spiralmanner. In particular, the intermediate curtains 307 can include one ormore spiral curtains 307 a and one or more barrier curtains 307 b. Thespiral curtains 307 a define a spiral 314 beneath the film 302. Otherspirals (e.g., countercurrent spirals) may be formed by any of thechannels 304 a-e (FIG. 4). Any of the curtains can include openings(e.g., of different and/or adjustable sizes) to control fluid flowsbetween different regions of the overall system.

For various thermo-mechanical purposes and processes, the same ordifferent fluids may be circulated at different rates or in a mannerthat enhances heat gain. For example, greenhouse gases such as methaneor carbon dioxide can be carried in the uppermost channel-shaped cell304 a, nitrogen in the next cell 304 b, oxygen in the next cell 304 c,fresh water in the next cell 304 d, and fresh water or methane in thelower cell 304 e. The constituents carried in each pocket, cell orchannel can be controlled, as described above. Even if denserconstituents are positioned above more buoyant constituents (e.g., forthermal reasons), the physical separation between cells at differentdepths, and/or the stability provided by the weights 308, 309 describedabove, can maintain control over the overall system. The resultingassembly can adjustably also contain one or more radiation-trapping gasinventories in the gas space 303. Fluids at different points in theassembly 305 may circulate in the same direction or counter-current toeach other and/or to the circulation in zone 312, which may be spiral orradial depending upon the embodiment. Individual intermediate curtains307 can hang to varying depths beneath the film assembly 305. Forexample, in a representative embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the inner andouter peripheral curtains 306 a and 306 b, and the spiral intermediatecurtains 307 a, each hang to about the same depth. The barrier curtains307 b can be shorter than the inner, outer and spiral curtains 306 a,306 b and 307 a, and each can hang to different depths. Depending uponthe insolation value, ambient temperature, wind chill, wave action, andrelated conditions, the relative velocity of water in the water volume312 generally favors slower velocity at the bottom than toward theinterface with the assembly 305 or gases in the gas space 303. Waterinventories may travel at controllably higher velocities near theradiation trapping gas space 303 and lower velocities near the barriercurtains 307 b. The barrier curtains 307 b may include largerperforations in the upper regions of the curtains than in the lowerregions. In addition, water inventories may travel through regionshaving smaller cross sectional areas than others, including shallowerdepths and/or widths, e.g., toward the inner curtain 306 a. The warmwater volume 312 initially formed at an outer spiral location 316 canbecome progressively deeper as the volume 312 continues to warm andtravel around the spiral, until the depth of the volume 312 reaches abottom edge (not visible) of the barrier curtain 307 b at location 317,and can increase velocity (e.g., if the spiral channels narrow).

Make-up water can be added at selected locations, e.g., at location 318through slots or layers of film that deflect to form an inwardly openingcheck valve. This feature, along with migration or spills under thebarrier curtain 307 b can add to the volume 312 at location 318 (asindicated by arrow 320) and/or other areas. This process continues in aninward direction along the spiral 314 until the water reaches the innercurtain 306 a. The water volume 312 is expected to have a significantthermal and mechanical momentum as it moves around the spiral 314.Accordingly, the controller 258 provides adaptive adjustments to thevelocity and the momentum of the water volume 312 (and/or other fluidvolumes), providing a “flywheel” effect and in conjunction with removalfor heat-exchange purposes will continue to deliver tailored (e.g.,optimized) amounts of warm water toward the inner peripheral curtain 306a during periods of decreased solar warming, such as during cloudyperiods or at night.

Returning to FIG. 4, the warm water near the inner curtain 306 a ispermitted to move in the direction of arrow 321 through the innercurtain 306 a through ports 322 distributed about the inner curtain 306a and directed to a heat exchanger such as an evaporator 324. The warmwater can deliver heat and/or produce vapors for expansion and/or forheating one or more other substances for expansion and work production.The evaporator 324 may be carried by the support 300 at a location aboveor below the ocean surface, and receives the warmed water. Water exitingthe evaporator 324 is directed to the sea or returned to the outerperipheral region (e.g., back into the volume 312) for the purpose ofoptimizing the efficiency and/or to overcome biofouling). For example,warm water from the evaporator 324 can be returned to the outerperiphery if it is warmer than the seawater there. The returned watercan be chlorinated (e.g., by an electrolytic chlorination process usingsalt water to provide the chlorine) to prevent biofouling.

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates certain components coupled to thesupport 300 of FIG. 2 and the evaporator 324 of FIG. 4. As was shown inFIG. 4, the warm water delivered through the channels 304 and/or underthe film assembly 305 moves through ports 322 toward the evaporator 324.Prior to reaching the evaporator 324, the warm water can enter a conduitthat passes through an additional heat exchanger coupled to a solarcollector 323. The heat exchanger can be insulated and/or controlled soas to reduce or prevent heat loss when solar gain is low ornon-existent. The solar collector 323 uses reflective surfaces toconcentrate solar radiation delivered to the conduit passing through thesolar collector 323 to further increase the temperature of the water orto generate steam. The water can enter the evaporator 324 which providesan output of fresh water in the form of steam to a turbine 326. Theturbine 326 drives a generator 328 that provides power to the first andsecond TCP reactors 280, 282 (FIG. 2) and other components of the TCPreactor system 110 (FIG. 2) as indicated by arrow 329. To supplement thepower provided to the components of the TCP reactor system 110, thesystem can include a wind turbine 327 that drives a generator 331. Steamor liquid water exits the turbine 326 and can be routed to a separator330.

The separator 330 can provide the liquid water to selected zones of thechannel film assembly 305 to supplement fluid levels there, and/ordirectly to the volume enclosed by the membrane 206 to add supplementalheat to the region of interest 200. The separator 330 provides steamfrom the turbine 326 to a condenser 332 that condenses the steam toliquid water. Such (fresh) liquid water exits the condenser 332 and canbe delivered into or pumped to a storage tank 334 and/or circulated atthe film assembly 205 for various thermochemical process purposes ordelivered to the membrane 206 to increase the rate of clathrateprocessing. The freshwater can be used for any of a variety of purposesnot specifically related to operating the TCP reactor systems 10, e.g.,drinking water.

FIG. 6 also illustrates a closed loop system that can be used inaddition to or in lieu of one of the water cycles described above. In aparticular embodiment, the closed loop uses constituents such asammonia, Freon, propane, butane, and/or SO₂ as the working fluid.Starting at the supplemental ocean thermal energy heating system 301,the ammonia or other working fluid passes through a first heat exchangercoil 336 positioned in the warm water in the channels 307 between thefilm assembly 305 and the imaginary plane 310, where the heat from thewarm water warms the working fluid. At times when solar gain issufficient, the warmed working fluid in the first heat exchanger coil336 can be pumped to the solar collector 323 where it is heated e.g., toincrease its energy content, and/or the portion of the working fluidthat is in a gaseous phase. The gaseous working fluid is then providedto a turbine 338 that drives a generator 340, which provides power tothe first and second TCP reactors 280, 282 (FIG. 2) and other componentsof the TCP reactor system 110 as indicated by arrow 342. Cooler gaseousworking fluid exits the turbine 338. In a particular embodiment, theworking fluid proceeds to a three-way valve 333 so as be directed to asecond heat exchanger coil 337 or to the condenser 332. The workingfluid at the second heat exchanger coil 337 heats working fluid in thefirst heat exchanger coil 336 in a counter-current arrangement, and/orheats the water above the plane 310.

The working fluid at the condenser 332 can absorb heat from the water,thus condensing the water and heating the working fluid, depending onthe relative temperatures of the working fluid and the water in thecondenser 332. The working fluid may condense as it is exposed to thecold surrounding water and returns in the closed loop to the heatexchanger coil 336. In another representative embodiment shown in FIG. 6(with dashed lines), the working fluid can be directed to another heatexchanger coil 344 positioned under the membrane 206 to cool the workingfluid and convey heat to selected substances (e.g., the donor substances106 described above with reference to FIG. 2) or formations at the areaof interest 200.

In still another embodiment, the system can include a heat pumparrangement, e.g., for night-time operation and/or for operation attimes when solar insolation may be relatively low. The heat pumparrangement can include a first heat exchanger 352 that receives heatfrom the warm water volume 312. The first heat exchanger 352 directs awarmed working fluid to a compressor 354 and then to a second heatexchanger 356. The second heat exchanger 356 delivers heat to theevaporator 324 and/or to other components in the system where highertemperature heat addition is advantageous. The working fluid is thenexpanded at a turbogenerator or other expansion device and returned tothe first heat exchanger 352. Energy to the drive compressor 354 in aheat pump cycle may be supplied by any of the system generators (e.g.,generator 340) and/or by an engine fueled by methane or hydrogen, and/orby a fuel cell, and/or by a battery powered motor drive. In instanceswhen an energy conversion event rejects heat available from a coolantjacket, engine exhaust, a heat engine or a fuel cell, heat banking maybe performed by adding heat to the water circulating through thechannels in the assembly 305 or in the water volume 312.

4. Further Representative Reactors

The following sections describe representative reactors and associatedsystems that may be used alone or in any of a variety of suitablecombinations for carrying out one or more of the foregoing processesdescribed above with reference to FIGS. 1-6. In particular, any suitablecomponent of the systems described in the following sections may replaceor supplement a suitable component described in the foregoing sections.

In some embodiments, the reactants may be obtained on a local scale, thereactions may be conducted on a local scale, and the products may beused on a local scale to produce a localized result. In otherembodiments, the reactants, reactions, products and overall effect ofthe process can have a much larger effect. For example, the technologycan have continental and/or extra-continental scope. In particularembodiments, the technology can be deployed to preserve vast regions ofpermafrost, on a continental scale, and or preserve ecosystems locatedoffshore from the preserved areas. In other embodiments, the technologycan be deployed offshore to produce effects over large tracts of oceanwaters. In still further, embodiments, the technology can be deployed onmobile systems that convey the benefits of the technology to a widerange of areas around the globe.

In general, the disclosed reactors dissociate, reform and/or respeciatea donor material (reactant) into multiple constituents (e.g., a firstconstituent and a second constituent). Particular aspects of therepresentative reactors described below are described in the context ofspecific reactants and products, e.g., a hydrogen and carbon bearingdonor, a hydrogen-bearing product or constituent, and a carbon-bearingproduct or constituent. In certain other embodiments of the disclosedtechnology, the same or similar reactors may be used to process otherreactants and/or form other products. For example, non-hydrogenfeedstock materials (reactants) are used in at least some embodiments.In particular examples, sulfur dioxide can be processed in anon-combustion thermal reactor to produce sulfur and oxygen, and/orcarbon dioxide can be processed to produce carbon and oxygen. In many ofthese embodiments, the resulting dissociation products can include astructural building block and/or a hydrogen-based fuel or otherdissociated constituent. The structural building block includescompositions that may be further processed to produce architecturalconstructs. For example, the structural building blocks can includecompounds or molecules resulting from the dissociation process and caninclude carbon, various organics (e.g. methyl, ethyl, or butyl groups orvarious alkenes), boron, nitrogen, oxygen, silicon, sulfur, halogens,and/or transition metals. In many applications the building blockelement does not include hydrogen. In a specific example, methane isdissociated to form hydrogen (or another hydrogen-bearing constituent)and carbon and/or carbon dioxide and/or carbon monoxide (structuralbuilding blocks). The carbon and/or carbon dioxide and/or carbonmonoxide can be further processed to form polymers, graphene, carbonfiber, and/or another architectural construct. The architecturalconstruct can include a self-organized structure (e.g., a crystal)formed from any of a variety of suitable elements, including theelements described above (carbon, nitrogen, boron, silicon, sulfur,and/or transition metals). In any of these embodiments, thearchitectural construct can form durable goods, e.g., graphene or carboncomposites, and/or other structures.

Many embodiments are described in the context of hydrocarbons, e.g.,methane. In other embodiments, suitable hydrogen-bearing feedstocks(e.g., reactants) include boranes (e.g., diborane), silanes (e.g.,monosilane), nitrogen-containing compounds (e.g., ammonia), sulfides(e.g., hydrogen sulfide), alcohols (e.g., methanol), alkyl halides(e.g., carbon tetrachloride), aryl halides (e.g., chlorobenzene), andhydrogen halides (e.g., hydrochloric acid), among others. For example,silane can be thermally decomposed to form hydrogen as a gaseous productand silicon as a non-gaseous product. When the non-gaseous productincludes silicon, the silicon can be reacted with nitrogen (e.g., fromair) or with a halogen gas (e.g., recycled from a separate industrialprocess) to form useful materials, such as silicon nitride (e.g., as astructural material) or a silicon halide (e.g., as a non-structuralmaterial). In other embodiments, the feedstock material can be reactedto form only gaseous products or only non-gaseous products. For example,suitable hydrogen halides can be thermally decomposed to form acombination of hydrogen and halogen gas as the gaseous product with noaccompanying non-gaseous product. In some embodiments, the gaseousproduct can include a gaseous fuel (e.g., hydrogen) and/or thenon-gaseous product can include an elemental material (e.g., carbon orsilicon). In some embodiments, the system can be configured for use inclose proximity to a suitable source of the feedstock material. Forexample, the system can be configured for use near landfills and forprocessing methane that would otherwise be flared or released into theatmosphere. In other embodiments, the system can be configured forprocessing stranded well gas at oil fields, methane hydrates from theocean floors or permafrost sources, and/or other feedstock materials 180that would otherwise be wasted.

In some embodiments, the non-gaseous product can be further processed ina reactor. For example, the non-gaseous product can be a structuralbuilding block that can be further processed in the reactor to produce astructural material, e.g., a ceramic, a carbon structure, a polymericstructure, a film, a fiber (e.g., a carbon fiber or a silicon fiber), ora filter. Highly pure forms of the non-gaseous product can be especiallywell suited for forming semiconductor devices, photo-optical sensors,and filaments for optical transmission, among other products. Thenon-gaseous product can also be used without further processing and/orcan be reacted to form materials useful for non-structural applications.

In other embodiments, the carbon can be used as a structural material orused as a reactant for producing a structural material. For example, thecarbon can be a reactant for extracting silicon from silica as shown inEquations R1 and/or R2 below.C+SiO₂→CO₂+Si  Equation R12C+SiO₂→2CO+Si  Equation R2Silicon from the reactions shown in Equations R1 and R2 or as thenon-gaseous product may be formed, for example, in a granular (e.g.,powder) form, which can include controlled amounts of amorphous and/orcrystalline material. For example, the operating temperature of thereactor can be programmed or otherwise controlled to control when,where, and/or whether the silicon is deposited in amorphous orcrystalline form.

In some embodiments, silicon from the system can be reacted to formhalogenated silanes or silicon halides, e.g., SiBrH₃, SiBrFH₂, SiBrH₃,SiBr₃H, SiCl₂H₂, SiBr₄, or SiCl₄, among others. Furthermore, siliconfrom the system may be made into various useful products and materials,such as products that are produced from or based on specialized forms ofsilicon (e.g., fumed silica), silicon-containing organic intermediates,and silicon-containing polymers, among others. Such products can beformed, for example, using suitable processes disclosed in U.S. Pat.Nos. 4,814,155, 4,414,364, 4,243,779, and 4,458,087, which areincorporated herein by reference. Silicon from the system 100 can alsobe used in the production of various substances, such as silicon carbideor silicon nitride, e.g., as shown in Equation R3.3Si+2N₂→Si₃N₄  Equation R3Silicon nitride articles can be formed, for example, using siliconpowders that are slip cast, pressure compacted, or injection molded andthen converted into silicon nitride. The resulting articles can havedensity, fatigue, endurance, dielectric, and/or other properties wellsuited for a variety of high-performance applications.Silicon-nitride-based durable goods can be used, for example, inthermally and electrically insulating components that have lowerdensities and can operate at higher operating temperatures than metalalloys typically used in rocket engines, gas turbines, andpositive-displacement combustion engines. Replacing such metal alloys,which typically consume critical supplies of cobalt, nickel, refractorymetals, and rare earths with silicon nitride and/or carbon components,can enable far more cost-effective production of engines, fuel cells,and other equipment.

In addition to forming inorganic materials, the system can form avariety of useful organic materials. For example, the feedstock materialcan include propane or propylene, which can be reacted with ammonia inthe first mode according to the reactions shown in Equations R4 and R5to form acrylonitrile and hydrogen as the gaseous products orelectrolytically disassociated in the second mode to generateelectricity.C₃H₈+NH₃→CH₂═CH—C≡N+4H₂  Equation R4CH₃—CH═CH₂+NH₃→CH₂═CH—C≡N+3H₂  Equation R5Subsequent processing of the gaseous products including acrylonitrilecan include reacting the acrylonitrile to form polymers, rubbers, carbonfiber, and/or other materials well suited for use in durable goods(e.g., equipment to harness solar, wind, moving water, or geothermalenergy). Accordingly, the overall energetics of processing propane orpropylene using the system can be significantly more favorable thansimple combustion. Furthermore, in some cases, processing propane orpropylene using the system can produce little or no harmful pollution(e.g., environmentally released carbon dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, orparticulates) or significantly less harmful pollution relative to simplecombustion.

In some embodiments, one or more chemical reaction products fromoperation of the system can be used to form dielectric materials for usein durable goods. For example, the reaction products can be used to formpolymers (e.g., polyimides, polyetherimides, parylenes, orfluoropolymers) and/or inorganic dielectrics (e.g., silicon dioxide orsilicon nitride) that can incorporated into polymer-basednanodielectrics. Composites of inorganic and organic materials (one orboth of which can be produced by operation of the system) can providerelatively high dielectric and mechanical strengths along withflexibility. Such materials can be well suited for use at a wide rangeof temperatures, such as temperatures ranging from cryogenictemperatures (e.g., about −200° C.) to heat-engine exhaust temperatures(e.g., about 500° C.). In other embodiments, the reaction products canbe used to form thin films of inorganic amorphous carbon, siliconoxynitride, aluminum oxynitride, or other suitable materials. In someembodiments, the system can have dual-beam deposition and/orweb-handling capabilities useful for processing suitable chemicalreaction products (e.g., to form amorphous or crystalline carbon films).

In at least some embodiments, nitrogen can be obtained as a product oran exhaust stream. The nitrogen can be combined with hydrogen to produceammonia and/or can be otherwise processed to form other useful materialssuch as Si₃N₄, AlN, BN, TiN, ZrN, TiCSi₃N₄, and/or suitable sialons.

While any one or more of the following representative reactors andassociated components, devices and methodologies may be used inconjunction with the systems described above, certain reactors may haveparticularly synergistic and/or otherwise beneficial effects in suchembodiments. For example, one or more heat pipes described below underheading 4.3 may be used to transfer fluid and heat between asubterranean heat source and the surface to facilitate dissociation orrespeciation of methane or another hydrogen donor. One or more solarconcentrators can be positioned at the surface to provide heat to thereactor(s) in the manner described below under heading 4.5. One or moreof the foregoing solar concentrators may be used to perform bothendothermic and exothermic reactions in the manner described below underheading 4.8.

4.1 Representative Reactors with Transmissive Surfaces

FIG. 7A is a partially schematic illustration of a system 1100 thatincludes a reactor 1110. The reactor 1110 further includes a reactorvessel 1111 that encloses or partially encloses a reaction zone 1112.The reactor vessel 1111 has one or more transmissive surfaces positionedto facilitate the chemical reaction taking place within the reactionzone 1112. In a representative example, the reactor vessel 1111 receivesa hydrogen donor provided by a donor source 1130 to a donor entry port1113. For example, the hydrogen donor can include a nitrogenous compoundsuch as ammonia or a compound containing carbon and hydrogen such asmethane or another hydrocarbon. The hydrogen donor can be suitablyfiltered before entering the reaction zone 1112 to remove contaminants,e.g., sulfur. A donor distributor or manifold 1115 within the reactorvessel 1111 disperses or distributes the hydrogen donor into thereaction zone 1112. The reactor vessel 1111 also receives an oxygendonor such as an alcohol or steam from a steam/water source 1140 via asteam entry port 1114. A steam distributor 1116 in the reactor vessel1111 distributes the steam into the reaction zone 1112. The reactorvessel 1111 can further include a heater 1123 that supplies heat to thereaction zone 1112 to facilitate endothermic reactions. Such reactionscan include dissociating a compound such as a nitrogenous compound, or acompound containing hydrogen and carbon such as methane or anotherhydrocarbon into hydrogen or a hydrogen compound, and carbon or a carboncompound. The products of the reaction exit the reactor vessel 1111 viaan exit port 1117 and are collected at a reaction product collector 1160a.

The system 1100 can further include a source 1150 of radiant energyand/or additional reactants, which provides constituents to a passage1118 within the reactor vessel 1111. For example, the radiantenergy/reactant source 1150 can include a combustion chamber 1151 thatprovides hot combustion products 1152 to the passage 1118, as indicatedby arrow A. A combustion products collector 1160 b collects combustionproducts exiting the reactor vessel 1111 for recycling and/or otheruses. In a particular embodiment, the combustion products 1152 caninclude carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, water vapor, and otherconstituents. One or more transmissive surfaces 1119 are positionedbetween the reaction zone 1112 (which can be disposed annularly aroundthe passage 1118) and an interior region 1120 of the passage 1118. Thetransmissive surface 1119 can accordingly allow radiant energy and/or achemical constituent to pass radially outwardly from the passage 1118into the reaction zone 1112, as indicated by arrows B. By delivering theradiant energy and/or chemical constituent(s) provided by the flow ofcombustion products 1152, the system 1100 can enhance the reactiontaking place in the reaction zone 1112, for example, by increasing thereaction zone temperature and/or pressure, and therefore the reactionrate, and/or the thermodynamic efficiency of the reaction. Similarly, achemical constituent such as water or steam can be recycled or otherwiseadded from the passage 1118 to replace water or steam that is consumedin the reaction zone 1112. In a particular aspect of this embodiment,the combustion products and/or other constituents provided by the source1150 can be waste products from another chemical process (e.g., aninternal combustion process). Accordingly, the foregoing process canrecycle or reuse energy and/or constituents that would otherwise bewasted, in addition to facilitating the reaction at the reaction zone1112.

The composition and structure of the transmissive surface 1119 can beselected to allow radiant energy to readily pass from the interiorregion 1120 of the passage 1118 to the reaction zone 1112. For example,the transmissive surface 1119 can include glass or another material thatis transparent or at least partially transparent to infrared energyand/or radiant energy at other wavelengths that are useful forfacilitating the reaction in the reaction zone 1112. In many cases, theradiant energy is present in the combustion product 1152 as an inherentresult of the combustion process. In other embodiments, an operator canintroduce additives into the stream of combustion products 1152 toincrease the amount of energy extracted from the stream and delivered tothe reaction zone 1112 in the form of radiant energy. For example, thecombustion products 1152 can be seeded with sodium, potassium, and/ormagnesium, which can absorb energy from the combustion products 1152 andradiate the energy outwardly through the transmissive surface 1119. Inparticular embodiments, the walls of the reaction zone 1112 can be darkand/or can have other treatments that facilitate drawing radiant energyinto the reaction zone 1112. However, it is also generally desirable toavoid forming particulates and/or tars, which may be more likely to formon dark surfaces. Accordingly, the temperature on the reaction zone 1112and the level of darkness can be controlled/selected to produce or toprevent tar/particulate formation.

In particular embodiments, the process performed at the reaction zoneincludes a conditioning process to produce darkened radiation receiverzones, for example, by initially providing heat to particular regions ofthe reaction zone 1112. After these zones have been heated sufficientlyto cause dissociation, a small amount of a hydrogen donor containingcarbon is introduced to cause carbon deposition or deposition ofcarbon-rich material. Such operations may be repeated as needed torestore darkened zones as desired.

In another particular aspect of this embodiment, the process can furtherincludes preventing undesirable solids or liquids, such as particlesand/or tars produced by dissociation of carbon donors, from forming atcertain areas and/or blocking passageways including the entry port 1113and the distributor 1115. This can be accomplished by supplying heatfrom the heater 1123 and/or the transmissive surface 1119 to an oxygendonor (such as steam) to heat the oxygen donor. When the oxygen donor isheated sufficiently, it can supply the required endothermic heat andreact with the carbon donor without allowing particles or tar to beformed. For example, a carbon donor such as methane or another compoundcontaining carbon and hydrogen receives heat from steam to form carbonmonoxide and hydrogen and thus avoids forming of undesirable particlesand/or tar.

As noted above, the combustion products 1152 can include steam and/orother constituents that may serve as reactants in the reaction zone1112. Accordingly, the transmissive surface 1119 can be manufactured toselectively allow such constituents into the reaction zone 1112, inaddition to or in lieu of admitting radiant energy into the reactionzone 1112. In a particular embodiment, the transmissive surface 1119 canbe formed from a carbon crystal structure, for example, a layeredgraphene structure. The carbon-based crystal structure can includespacings (e.g., between parallel layers oriented transverse to the flowdirection A) that are deliberately selected to allow water molecules topass through. At the same time, the spacings can be selected to preventuseful reaction products produced in the reaction zone 1112 from passingout of the reaction zone. Suitable structures and associated methods arefurther disclosed in pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/857,228titled “ARCHITECTURAL CONSTRUCT HAVING FOR EXAMPLE A PLURALITY OFARCHITECTURAL CRYSTALS” filed Feb. 14, 2011 and incorporated herein byreference. The structure used to form the transmissive surface 1119 canbe carbon-based, as discussed above, and/or can be based on otherelements capable of forming a self-organized structures, or constituentscapable of modifying the surface of 1119 to pass or re-radiateparticular radiation frequencies, and/or block or pass selectedmolecules. Such elements can include transition metals, boron, nitrogen,silicon, and sulfur, among others. In particular embodiments, thetransmissive surface 1119 can include re-radiating materials selected tore-radiate energy at a wavelength that is particularly likely to beabsorbed by one or more reactants in the reaction zone 1112. The wallsof the reaction zone 1112 can include such material treatments inaddition to or in lieu of providing such treatments to the transmissivesurface 1119. Further details of such structures, materials andtreatments are disclosed below in Section 4.2.

The system 1100 can further include a controller 1190 that receivesinput signals 1191 (e.g., from sensors) and provides output signals 1192(e.g., control instructions) based at least in part on the inputs 1191.Accordingly, the controller 1190 can include suitable processor, memoryand I/O capabilities. The controller 1190 can receive signalscorresponding to measured or sensed pressures, temperatures, flow rates,chemical concentrations and/or other suitable parameters, and can issueinstructions controlling reactant delivery rates, pressures andtemperatures, heater activation, valve settings and/or other suitableactively controllable parameters. An operator can provide additionalinputs to modify, adjust and/or override the instructions carried outautonomously by the controller 1190.

One feature of forming the transmissive surface 1119 from graphene orother crystal structures is that it can allow both radiant energy anduseful constituents (e.g., water) to pass into the reaction zone 1112.In a particular embodiment, the spacing between graphene layers can beselected to “squeeze” or otherwise orient water molecules in a mannerthat tends to present the oxygen atom preferentially at the reactionzone 1112. Accordingly, those portions of the reaction that use theoxygen (e.g., oxidation or oxygenation steps) can proceed more readilythan they otherwise would. As a result, this mechanism can provide afurther avenue for facilitating the process of dissociating elements orcompounds from the hydrogen donor and water, (and/or other reactants)and reforming suitable end products.

FIG. 7B is a partially schematic, partially cut-away illustration of areactor 1310 that includes a vessel 1311 formed from three annularly(e.g., concentrically) positioned conduits 1322. Accordingly, thereactor 1310 can operate in a continuous flow manner. As used herein,“continuous flow” refers generally to a process in which reactants andproducts can be provided to and removed from the reactor vesselcontinuously without halting the reaction to reload the reaction zonewith reactants. In other embodiments, the reactor 1310 can operate in abatch manner during which reactants are intermittently supplied to thereaction zone and products are intermittently removed from the reactionzone. The three conduits 1322 include a first or inner conduit 1322 a, asecond or intermediate conduit 1322 b, and a third or outer conduit 1322c. The first conduit 1322 a bounds a combustion products passage 1318and accordingly has an interior region 1320 through which the combustionproducts 1152 pass. The first conduit 1322 a has a first transmissivesurface 1319 a through which radiant energy passes in a radially outwarddirection, as indicated by arrows B. In a particular aspect of thisembodiment, the annular region between the first conduit 1322 a and thesecond conduit 1322 b houses a heater 1323, and the annular regionbetween the second conduit 1322 b and the third conduit 1322 c houses areaction zone 1312. The heater 1323 together with the radiant heat fromthe combustion products 1152 provides heat to the reaction zone 1312.Accordingly, the second conduit 1322 b can include a second transmissivesurface 1319 b that allows radiant energy from both the combustionproducts 1152 and the heater 1323 to pass radially outwardly into thereaction zone 1312. In a particular aspect of this embodiment, the firsttransmissive surface 1319 a and the second transmissive surface 1319 bare not transmissible to chemical constituents of the combustionproducts 1152, in order to avoid contact (e.g., corrosive or otherdamaging contact) between the combustion products 1152 and the heater1323. In another embodiment, the heater 1323 can be manufactured (e.g.,with appropriate coatings, treatments, or other features) in a mannerthat protects it from chemical constituents passing through the firstand second transmissive surfaces 1319 a, 1319 b. In still anotherembodiment, the heater 1323 can be positioned outwardly from thereaction zone 1312. In any of these embodiments, the heater 1323 caninclude an electrical resistance heater, an induction heater or anothersuitable device. In at least some instances, the heater 1323 is poweredby combusting a portion of the hydrogen produced in the reaction zone1312. In other embodiments, combustion is performed in the reactoritself, for example, with the second conduit 1322 b serving as a gasmantle for radiating energy at frequencies selected to accelerate thedesired reactions in reaction zone 1312.

In any of the forgoing embodiments, the reaction zone 1312 can house oneor more steam distributors 1316 and one or more hydrogen donordistributors 1315. Each of the distributors 1315, 1316 can include pores1324 and/or other apertures, openings or passages that allow chemicalreactants to enter the reaction zone 1312. The donor distributors 1315,1316 can include one or more spiral conduits, including, e.g., conduitsarranged in a braided fashion to distribute reactants into the reactionzone uniformly in the axial, radial and circumferential directions. Thereaction zone 1312 is bounded by the third conduit 1322 c which can havean insulated reactor outer surface 1321 to conserve heat within thereaction zone 1312. During operation, the reaction taking place in thereaction zone 1312 can be controlled by adjusting the rate at whichsteam and the hydrogen donor enter the reaction zone 1312, the rate atwhich heat enters the reaction zone 1312 (via the combustion productpassage 1318 and/or the heater 1323) and other variables, including thepressure at the reaction zone 1312. Appropriate sensors and controlfeedback loops carry out these processes autonomously, with optionalcontroller intervention, as described above with reference to FIG. 7A.

Still further embodiments of suitable reactors with transmissivesurfaces are disclosed in pending U.S. application Ser. No. 13/026,996,filed Feb. 14, 2011, and incorporated herein by reference.

4.2 Representative Reactors with Re-Radiative Components

FIG. 8A is a partially schematic illustration of a system 2100 thatincludes a reactor 2110 having one or more selective (e.g.,re-radiative) surfaces in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure.The reactor 2110 further includes a reactor vessel 2111 having an outersurface 2121 that encloses or partially encloses a reaction zone 2112.In a representative example, the reactor vessel 2111 receives a hydrogendonor provided by a donor source 2101 to a donor entry port 2113. Forexample, the hydrogen donor can include methane or another hydrocarbon.A donor distributor or manifold 2115 within the reactor vessel 2111disperses or distributes the hydrogen donor into the reaction zone 2112.The reactor vessel 2111 also receives steam from a steam/water source2102 via a steam entry port 2114. A steam distributor 2116 in thereactor vessel 2111 distributes the steam into the reaction zone 2112.The reactor vessel 2111 can still further include a heater 2123 thatsupplies heat to the reaction zone 2112 to facilitate endothermicreactions. Such reactions can include dissociating methane or anotherhydrocarbon into hydrogen or a hydrogen compound, and carbon or a carboncompound. The products of the reaction (e.g., carbon and hydrogen) exitthe reactor vessel 2111 via an exit port 2117 and are collected at areaction product collector 2160 a.

The system 2100 can further include a source 2103 of radiant energyand/or additional reactants, which provides constituents to a passage2118 within the reactor vessel 2111. For example, the radiantenergy/reactant source 2103 can include a combustion chamber 2104 thatprovides hot combustion products 2105 to the passage 2118, as indicatedby arrow A. In a particular embodiment, the passage 2118 is concentricrelative to a passage centerline 2122. In other embodiments, the passage2118 can have other geometries. A combustion products collector 2160 bcollects combustion products exiting the reactor vessel 2111 forrecycling and/or other uses. In a particular embodiment, the combustionproducts 2105 can include carbon monoxide, water vapor, and otherconstituents.

One or more re-radiation components 2150 are positioned between thereaction zone 2112 (which can be disposed annularly around the passage2118) and an interior region 2120 of the passage 2118. The re-radiationcomponent 2150 can accordingly absorb incident radiation R from thepassage 2118 and direct re-radiated energy RR into the reaction zone2112. The re-radiated energy RR can have a wavelength spectrum ordistribution that more closely matches, approaches, overlaps and/orcorresponds to the absorption spectrum of at least one of the reactantsand/or at least one of the resulting products. By delivering the radiantenergy at a favorably shifted wavelength, the system 2100 can enhancethe reaction taking place in the reaction zone 2112, for example, byincreasing the efficiency with which energy is absorbed by thereactants, thus increasing the reaction zone temperature and/orpressure, and therefore the reaction rate, and/or the thermodynamicefficiency of the reaction. In a particular aspect of this embodiment,the combustion products 2105 and/or other constituents provided by thesource 2103 can be waste products from another chemical process (e.g.,an internal combustion process). Accordingly, the foregoing process canrecycle or reuse energy and/or constituents that would otherwise bewasted, in addition to facilitating the reaction at the reaction zone2112.

In at least some embodiments, the re-radiation component 2150 can beused in conjunction with, and/or integrated with, a transmissive surface2119 that allows chemical constituents (e.g., reactants) to readily passfrom the interior region 2120 of the passage 2118 to the reaction zone2112. Further details of representative transmissive surfaces werediscussed above under heading 4.1. In other embodiments, the reactor2110 can include one or more re-radiation components 2150 without alsoincluding a transmissive surface 2119. In any of these embodiments, theradiant energy present in the combustion product 2105 may be present asan inherent result of the combustion process. In other embodiments, anoperator can introduce additives into the stream of combustion products2105 (and/or the fuel that produces the combustion products) to increasethe amount of energy extracted from the stream and delivered to thereaction zone 2112 in the form of radiant energy. For example, thecombustion products 2105 (and/or fuel) can be seeded with sources ofsodium, potassium, and/or magnesium, which can absorb energy from thecombustion products 2105 and radiate the energy outwardly into thereaction zone 2112 at desirable frequencies. These illuminant additivescan be used in addition to the re-radiation component 2150.

FIG. 8B is a graph presenting absorption as a function of wavelength fora representative reactant (e.g., methane) and a representativere-radiation component. FIG. 8B illustrates a reactant absorptionspectrum 2130 that includes multiple reactant peak absorption ranges2131, three of which are highlighted in FIG. 8B as first, second andthird peak absorption ranges 2131 a, 2131 b, 2131 c. The peak absorptionranges 2131 represent wavelengths for which the reactant absorbs moreenergy than at other portions of the spectrum 2130. The spectrum 2130can include a peak absorption wavelength 2132 within a particular range,e.g., the third peak absorption range 2131 c.

FIG. 8B also illustrates a first radiant energy spectrum 2140 a having afirst peak wavelength range 2141 a. For example, the first radiantenergy spectrum 2140 a can be representative of the emission from thecombustion products 2105 described above with reference to FIG. 8A.After the radiant energy has been absorbed and re-emitted by there-radiation component 2150 described above, it can produce a secondradiant energy spectrum 2140 b having a second peak wavelength range2141 b, which in turn includes a re-radiation peak value 2142. Ingeneral terms, the function of the re-radiation component 2150 is toshift the spectrum of the radiant energy from the first radiant energyspectrum 2140 a and peak wavelength range 2141 a to the second radiantenergy spectrum 2140 b and peak wavelength range 2141 b, as indicated byarrow S. As a result of the shift, the second peak wavelength range 2141b is closer to the third peak absorption range 2131 c of the reactantthan is the first peak wavelength range 2141 a. For example, the secondpeak wavelength range 2141 b can overlap with the third peak absorptionrange 2131 c and in a particular embodiment, the re-radiation peak value2142 can be at, or approximately at the same wavelength as the reactantpeak absorption wavelength 2132. In this manner, the re-radiationcomponent more closely aligns the spectrum of the radiant energy withthe peaks at which the reactant efficiently absorbs energy.Representative structures for performing this function are described infurther detail below with reference to FIG. 8C.

FIG. 8C is a partially schematic, enlarged cross-sectional illustrationof a portion of the reactor 2110 described above with reference to FIG.8A, having a re-radiation component 2150 configured in accordance with aparticular embodiment of the technology. The re-radiation component 2150is positioned between the passage 2118 (and the radiation energy R inthe passage 2118), and the reaction zone 2112. The re-radiationcomponent 2150 can include layers 2151 of material that formspaced-apart structures 2158, which in turn carry a re-radiativematerial 2152. For example, the layers 2151 can include graphene layersor other crystal or self-orienting layers made from suitable buildingblock elements such as carbon, boron, nitrogen, silicon, transitionmetals, and/or sulfur. Carbon is a particularly suitable constituentbecause it is relatively inexpensive and readily available. In fact, itis a target output product of reactions that can be completed in thereaction zone 2112. Further details of suitable structures are disclosedin co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 12/857,228 previouslyincorporated herein by reference. Each structure 2158 can be separatedfrom its neighbor by a gap 2153. The gap 2153 can be maintained byspacers 2157 extending between neighboring structures 2158. Inparticular embodiments, the gaps 2153 between the structures 2158 can befrom about 2.5 microns to about 25 microns wide. In other embodiments,the gap 2153 can have other values, depending, for example, on thewavelength of the incident radiative energy R. The spacers 2157 arepositioned at spaced-apart locations both within and perpendicular tothe plane of FIG. 8C so as not to block the passage of radiation and/orchemical constituents through the component 2150.

The radiative energy R can include a first portion R1 that is generallyaligned parallel with the spaced-apart layered structures 2158 andaccordingly passes entirely through the re-radiation component 2150 viathe gaps 2153 and enters the reaction zone 2112 without contacting there-radiative material 2152. The radiative energy R can also include asecond portion R2 that impinges upon the re-radiative material 2152 andis accordingly re-radiated as a re-radiated portion RR into the reactionzone 2112. The reaction zone 2112 can accordingly include radiationhaving different energy spectra and/or different peak wavelength ranges,depending upon whether the incident radiation R impinged upon there-radiative material 2152 or not. This combination of energies in thereaction zone 2112 can be beneficial for at least some reactions. Forexample, the shorter wavelength, higher frequency (higher energy)portion of the radiative energy can facilitate the basic reaction takingplace in the reaction zone 2112, e.g., disassociating methane in thepresence of steam to form carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The longerwavelength, lower frequency (lower energy) portion can prevent thereaction products from adhering to surfaces of the reactor 2110, and/orcan separate such products from the reactor surfaces. In particularembodiments, the radiative energy can be absorbed by methane in thereaction zone 2112, and in other embodiments, the radiative energy canbe absorbed by other reactants, for example, the steam in the reactionzone 2112, or the products. In at least some cases, it is preferable toabsorb the radiative energy with the steam. In this manner, the steamreceives sufficient energy to be hot enough to complete the endothermicreaction within the reaction zone 2112, without unnecessarily heatingthe carbon atoms, which may potentially create particulates or tar ifthey are not quickly oxygenated after dissociation.

The re-radiative material 2152 can include a variety of suitableconstituents, including iron carbide, tungsten carbide, titaniumcarbide, boron carbide, and/or boron nitride. These materials, as wellas the materials forming the spaced-apart structures 2158, can beselected on the basis of several properties including corrosionresistance and/or compressive loading. For example, loading a carbonstructure with any of the foregoing carbides or nitrides can produce acompressive structure. An advantage of a compressive structure is thatit is less subject to corrosion than is a structure that is undertensile forces. In addition, the inherent corrosion resistance of theconstituents of the structure (e.g., the foregoing carbides andnitrides) can be enhanced because, under compression, the structure isless permeable to corrosive agents, including steam which may well bepresent as a reactant in the reaction zone 2112 and as a constituent ofthe combustion products 2105 in the passage 2118. The foregoingconstituents can be used alone or in combination with phosphorus,calcium fluoride and/or another phosphorescent material so that theenergy re-radiated by the re-radiative material 2152 may be delayed.This feature can smooth out at least some irregularities orintermittencies with which the radiant energy is supplied to thereaction zone 2112.

Another suitable re-radiative material 2152 includes spinel or anothercomposite of magnesium and/or aluminum oxides. Spinel can provide thecompressive stresses described above and can shift absorbed radiation tothe infrared so as to facilitate heating the reaction zone 2112. Forexample, sodium or potassium can emit visible radiation (e.g.,red/orange/yellow radiation) that can be shifted by spinel or anotheralumina-bearing material to the IR band. If both magnesium and aluminumoxides, including compositions with colorant additives such asmagnesium, aluminum, titanium, chromium, nickel, copper and/or vanadium,are present in the re-radiative material 2152, the re-radiative material2152 can emit radiation having multiple peaks, which can in turn allowmultiple constituents within the reaction zone 2112 to absorb theradiative energy.

The particular structure of the re-radiation component 2150 shown inFIG. 8C includes gaps 2153 that can allow not only radiation to passthrough, but can also allow constituents to pass through. Accordingly,the re-radiation component 2150 can also form the transmissive surface2119, which, as described above with reference to FIG. 8A, can furtherfacilitate the reaction in the reaction zone 2112 by admittingreactants.

Still further embodiments of suitable reactors with re-radiativecomponents are disclosed in pending U.S. application Ser. No.13/027,015, filed Feb. 14, 2011, and incorporated herein by reference.

4.3 Representative Reactors with Heat Pipes and Heat Pumps

FIG. 9A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a thermal transfer device3100 (“device 3100”) configured in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent technology. As shown in FIG. 9A, the device 3100 can include aconduit 3102 that has an input portion 3104, an output portion 3106opposite the input portion 3104, and a sidewall 3120 between the inputand output portions 3104 and 3106. The device 3100 can further include afirst end cap 3108 at the input portion 3104 and a second end cap 3110at the output portion 3106. The device 3100 can enclose a working fluid3122 (illustrated by arrows) that changes between a vapor phase 3122 aand a liquid phase 3122 b during a vaporization-condensation cycle.

In selected embodiments, the device 3100 can also include one or morearchitectural constructs 3112. Architectural constructs 3112 aresynthetic matrix characterizations of crystals that are primarilycomprised of graphene, graphite, boron nitride, and/or another suitablecrystal. The configuration and the treatment of these crystals heavilyinfluence the properties that the architectural construct 3112 willexhibit when it experiences certain conditions. For example, asexplained in further detail below, the device 3100 can utilizearchitectural constructs 3112 for their thermal properties, capillaryproperties, sorbtive properties, catalytic properties, andelectromagnetic, optical, and acoustic properties. As shown in FIG. 9A,the architectural construct 3112 can be arranged as a plurality ofsubstantially parallel layers 3114 spaced apart from one another by agap 3116. In various embodiments, the layers 3114 can be as thin as oneatom. In other embodiments, the thickness of the individual layers 3114can be greater and/or less than one atom and the width of the gaps 3116between the layers 3114 can vary. Methods of fabricating and configuringarchitectural constructs, such as the architectural constructs 3112shown in FIG. 9A, are described in U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/857,228 previously incorporated herein by reference.

As shown in FIG. 9A, the first end cap 3108 can be installed proximateto a heat source (not shown) such that the first end cap 3108 serves asa hot interface that vaporizes the working fluid 3122. Accordingly, thefirst end cap 3108 can include a material with a high thermalconductivity and/or transmissivity to absorb or deliver heat from theheat source. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 9A, for example, thefirst end cap 3108 includes the architectural construct 3112 made from athermally conductive crystal (e.g., graphene). The architecturalconstruct 3112 can be arranged to increase its thermal conductively byconfiguring the layers 3114 to have a high concentration of thermallyconductive pathways (e.g., formed by the layers 3114) substantiallyparallel to the influx of heat. For example, in the illustratedembodiment, the layers 3114 generally align with the incoming heat flowsuch that heat enters the architectural construct 3112 between thelayers 3114. This configuration exposes the greatest surface area of thelayers 3114 to the heat and thereby increases the heat absorbed by thearchitectural construct 3112. Advantageously, despite having a muchlower density than metal, the architectural construct 3112 canconductively and/or radiatively transfer a greater amount of heat perunit area than solid silver, raw graphite, copper, or aluminum.

As further shown in FIG. 9A, the second end cap 3110 can expel heat fromthe device 3100 to a heat sink (not shown) such that the second end cap3110 serves as a cold interface that condenses the working fluid 3122.The second end cap 3110, like the first end cap 3108, can include amaterial with a high thermal conductivity (e.g., copper, aluminum)and/or transmissivity to absorb and/or transmit latent heat from theworking fluid 3122. Accordingly, like the first end cap 3108, the secondend cap 3110 can include the architectural construct 3112. However,rather than bringing heat into the device 3100 like the first end cap3108, the second end cap 3110 can convey latent heat out of the device3100. In various embodiments, the architectural constructs 3112 of thefirst and second end caps 3108 and 3110 can be made from the similarmaterials and/or arranged to have substantially similar thermalconductivities. In other embodiments, the architectural constructs 3112can include different materials, can be arranged in differingdirections, and/or otherwise configured to provide differing thermalconveyance capabilities including desired conductivities andtransmissivities. In further embodiments, neither the first end cap 3108nor the second end cap 3110 includes the architectural construct 3112.

In selected embodiments, the first end cap 3108 and/or the second endcap 3110 can include portions with varying thermal conductivities. Forexample, a portion of the first end cap 3108 proximate to the conduit3102 can include a highly thermally conductive material (e.g., thearchitectural construct 3112 configured to promote thermal conductivity,copper, etc.) such that it absorbs heat from the heat source andvaporizes the working fluid 3122. Another portion of the first end cap3108 spaced apart from the conduit 3102 can include a less thermallyconductive material to insulate the high conductivity portion. Incertain embodiments, for example, the insulative portion can includeceramic fibers, sealed dead air space, and/or other materials orstructures with high radiant absorptivities and/or low thermalconductivities. In other embodiments, the insulative portion of thefirst end cap 3108 can include the architectural construct 3112 arrangedto include a low concentration of thermally conductive pathways (e.g.,the layers 3114 are spaced apart by large gaps 3116) such that it has alow availability for conductively transferring heat.

In other embodiments, the configurations of the architectural constructs3112 may vary from those shown in FIG. 9A based on the dimensions of thedevice 3100, the temperature differential between the heat source andthe heat sink, the desired heat transfer, the working fluid 3122, and/orother suitable thermal transfer characteristics. For example,architectural constructs 3112 having smaller surface areas may be suitedfor microscopic applications of the device 3100 and/or high temperaturedifferentials, whereas architectural constructs 3112 having highersurface areas may be better suited for macroscopic applications of thedevice 3100 and/or higher rates of heat transfer. The thermalconductivities of the architectural constructs 3112 can also be alteredby coating the layers 3114 with dark colored coatings to increase heatabsorption and with light colored coatings to reflect heat away andthereby decrease heat absorption.

Referring still to FIG. 9A, the device 3100 can return the liquid phase3122 b of the working fluid 3122 to the input portion 3104 by capillaryaction. The sidewall 3120 of the conduit 3102 can thus include a wickstructure that exerts a capillary pressure on the liquid phase 3122 b todrive it toward a desired location (e.g., the input portion 3104). Forexample, the sidewall 3120 can include cellulose, ceramic wickingmaterials, sintered or glued metal powder, nanofibers, and/or othersuitable wick structures or materials that provide capillary action.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9A, the architectural construct 3112 isaligned with the longitudinal axis 3118 of the conduit 3102 andconfigured to exert the necessary capillary pressure to direct theliquid phase 3122 b of the working fluid 3122 to the input portion 3104.The composition, dopants, spacing, and/or thicknesses of the layers 3114can be selected based on the surface tension required to providecapillary action for the working fluid 3122. Advantageously, thearchitectural construct 3112 can apply sufficient capillary pressure onthe liquid phase 3122 b to drive the working fluid 3122 short and longdistances (e.g., millimeters to kilometers). Additionally, in selectedembodiments, the surface tension of the layers 3114 can be manipulatedsuch that the architectural construct 3112 rejects a preselected fluid.For example, the architectural construct 3112 can be configured to havea surface tension that rejects any liquid other than the liquid phase3122 b of the working fluid 3122. In such an embodiment, thearchitectural construct 3112 can function as a filter that prevents anyfluid other than the working fluid 3122 (e.g., fluids tainted byimpurities that diffused into the conduit 3102) from interfering withthe vaporization-condensation cycle.

In other embodiments, the selective capillary action of thearchitectural construct 3112 separates substances at far lowertemperatures than conventional distillation technologies. The fasterseparation of substances by the architectural construct 3112 can reduceor eliminates substance degradation caused if the substance reacheshigher temperatures within the device 3100. For example, a potentiallyharmful substance can be removed from the working fluid 3122 by theselective capillary action of the architectural construct 3112 beforethe working fluid 3122 reaches the higher temperatures proximate to theinput portion 3104.

The conduit 3102 and the first and second end caps 3108 and 3110 can besealed together using suitable fasteners able to withstand thetemperature differentials of the device 3100. In other embodiments, thedevice 3100 is formed integrally. For example, the device 3100 can bemolded using one or more materials. A vacuum can be used to remove anyair within the conduit 3102, and then the conduit 3102 can be filledwith a small volume of the working fluid 3122 chosen to match theoperating temperatures.

In operation, the device 3100 utilizes a vaporization-condensation cycleof the working fluid 3122 to transfer heat. More specifically, the firstend cap 3108 can absorb heat from the heat source, and the working fluid3122 can in turn absorb the heat from the first end cap 3108 to producethe vapor phase 3122 a. The pressure differential caused by the phasechange of the working fluid 3122 can drive the vapor phase 3122 a of theworking fluid 3122 to fill the space available and thus deliver theworking fluid 3122 through the conduit 3102 to the output portion 3104.At the output portion 3104, the second end cap 3110 can absorb heat fromthe working fluid 3122 to change the working fluid 3122 to the liquidphase 3122 b. The latent heat from the condensation of the working fluid3122 can be transferred out of the device 3100 via the second end cap3110. In general, the heat influx to the first end cap 3108substantially equals the heat removed by the second end cap 3110. Asfurther shown in FIG. 9A, capillary action provided by the architecturalconstruct 3112 or other wick structure can return the liquid phase 3122b of the working fluid 3122 to the input portion 3104. In selectedembodiments, the termini of the layers 3114 can be staggered or angledtoward the conduit 3102 to facilitate entry of the liquid phase 3122 bbetween the layers 3114 and/or to facilitate conversion of the liquidphase 3122 b to the vapor phase 3122 b at the input portion 3104. At theinput portion 3104, the working fluid 3122 can again vaporize andcontinue to circulate through the conduit 3102 by means of thevaporization-condensation cycle.

The device 3100 can also operate the vaporization-condensation cycledescribed above in the reverse direction. For example, when the heatsource and heat sink are reversed, the first end cap 3108 can serve asthe cold interface and the second end cap 3110 can serve as the hotinterface. Accordingly, the input and output portions 3104 and 3106 areinverted such that the working fluid 3122 vaporizes proximate to thesecond end cap 3110, condenses proximate to the first end cap 3108, andreturns to the second end cap 3110 using the capillary action providedby the sidewall 3120. The reversibility of the device 3100 allows thedevice 3100 to be installed irrespective of the positions of the heatsource and heat sink. Additionally, the device 3100 can accommodateenvironments in which the locations of the heat source and the heat sinkmay reverse. For example, as described further below, the device 3100can operate in one direction during the summer to utilize solar energyand the device 3100 can reverse direction during the winter to utilizeheat stored during the previous summer.

Embodiments of the device 3100 including the architectural construct3112 at the first end cap 3108 and/or second end cap 3110 have higherthermal conductivity per unit area than conventional conductors. Thisincreased thermal conductivity can increase process rate and thetemperature differential between the first and second end caps 3108 and3110 to produce greater and more efficient heat transfer. Additionally,embodiments including the architectural construct 3112 at the firstand/or second end caps 3108 and 3110 require less surface area to absorbthe heat necessary to effectuate the vaporization-condensation cycle.Thus, the device 3100 can be more compact than a conventional heat pipethat transfers an equivalent amount of heat and provide considerablecost reduction.

Referring still to FIG. 9A, in various embodiments, the device 3100 canfurther include a liquid reservoir 3124 in fluid communication with theconduit 3102 such that the liquid reservoir 3124 can collect and storeat least a portion of the working fluid 3122. As shown in FIG. 9A, theliquid reservoir 3124 can be coupled to the input portion 3104 of theconduit 3102 via a pipe or other suitable tubular shaped structure. Theliquid phase 3122 b can thus flow from the sidewall 3102 (e.g., thearchitectural construct 3112, wick structure, etc.) into the liquidreservoir 3124. In other embodiments, the liquid reservoir 3124 is influid communication with another portion of the conduit 3102 (e.g., theoutput portion 3106) such that the liquid reservoir 3124 collects theworking fluid 3122 in the vapor phase 3122 a or in mixed phases.

The liquid reservoir 3124 allows the device 3100 to operate in at leasttwo modes: a heat accumulation mode and a heat transfer mode. During theheat accumulation mode, the vaporization-condensation cycle of theworking fluid 3122 can be slowed or halted by funneling the workingfluid 3122 from the conduit 3102 to the liquid reservoir 3124. The firstend cap 3108 can then function as a thermal accumulator that absorbsheat without the vaporization-condensation cycle dissipating theaccumulated heat. After the first end cap 3108 accumulates a desiredamount of heat and/or the heat source (e.g., the sun) no longer suppliesheat, the device 3100 can change to the heat transfer mode by funnelingthe working fluid 3122 into the conduit 3102. The heat stored in firstend cap 3108 can vaporize the incoming working fluid 3122 and thepressure differential can drive the vapor phase 3122 a toward the outputportion 3106 of the conduit 3102 to restart thevaporization-condensation cycle described above. In certain embodiments,the restart of the vaporization-condensation cycle can be monitored toanalyze characteristics (e.g., composition, vapor pressure, latent heat,efficiency) of the working fluid 3122.

As shown in FIG. 9A, a controller 3126 can be operably coupled to theliquid reservoir 3124 to modulate the rate at which the working fluid3122 enters the conduit 3102 and/or adjust the volume of the workingfluid 3122 flowing into or out of the conduit 3102. The controller 3126can thereby change the pressure within the conduit 3102 such that thedevice 3100 can operate at varying temperature differentials between theheat source and sink. Thus, the device 3100 can provide a constant heatflux despite a degrading heat source (e.g., first end cap 3108) orintermittent vaporization-condensation cycles.

FIGS. 9B and 9C are schematic cross-sectional views of thermal transferdevices 3200 a, 3200 b (“devices 3200”) in accordance with otherembodiments of the present technology. Several features of the devices3200 are generally similar to the features of the device 3100 shown inFIG. 9A. For example, each device 3200 can include the conduit 3102, thesidewall 3120, and the first and second end caps 3108 and 3110. Thedevice 3200 also transfers heat from a heat source to a heat sinkutilizing a vaporization-condensation cycle of the working fluid 3122generally similar to that described with reference to FIG. 9A.Additionally, as shown in FIGS. 9B and 9C, the device 3200 can furtherinclude the liquid reservoir 3124 and the controller 3126 such that thedevice 3200 can operate in the heat accumulation mode and the heattransfer mode.

The devices 3200 shown in FIGS. 9B and 9C can utilize gravity, ratherthan the capillary action described in FIG. 9A, to return the liquidphase 3122 b of the working fluid 3122 to the input portion 3104. Thus,as shown in FIGS. 9B and 9C, the heat inflow is below the heat outputsuch that gravity can drive the liquid phase 3122 b down the sidewall3120 to the input portion 3104. Thus, as shown in FIG. 9B, the sidewall3120 need only include an impermeable membrane 3228, rather than a wickstructure necessary for capillary action, to seal the working fluid 3122within the conduit 3102. The impermeable membrane 3228 can be made froma polymer such as polyethylene, a metal or metal alloy such as copperand stainless steel, and/or other suitable impermeable materials. Inother embodiments, the devices 3200 can utilize other sources ofacceleration (e.g., centrifugal force, capillary action) to return theliquid phase 3122 b to the input portion 3104 such that the positions ofthe input and output portions 3104 and 3106 are not gravitationallydependent.

As shown in FIG. 9C, in other embodiments, the sidewall 3120 can furtherinclude the architectural construct 3112. For example, the architecturalconstruct 3112 can be arranged such that the layers 3114 are orientedorthogonal to the longitudinal axis 3118 of the conduit 3102 to formthermally conductive passageways that transfer heat away from theconduit 3102. Thus, as the liquid phase 3122 b flows along the sidewall3120, the architectural construct 3112 can draw heat from the liquidphase 3122 b, along the layers 3114, and away from the sidewall 3120 ofthe device 3200. This can increase the temperature differential betweenthe input and output portions 3104 and 3106 to increase the rate of heattransfer and/or facilitate the vaporization-condensation cycle when thetemperature gradient would otherwise be insufficient. In otherembodiments, the layers 3114 can be oriented at a different angle withrespect to the longitudinal axis 3118 to transfer heat in a differentdirection. In certain embodiments, the architectural construct 3112 canbe positioned radially outward of the impermeable membrane 3228. Inother embodiments, the impermeable membrane 3228 can be radially outwardof architectural construct 3112 or the architectural construct 3112itself can provide a sufficiently impervious wall to seal the workingfluid 3122 within the conduit 3102.

The first and second end caps 3108 and 3110 shown in FIGS. 9B and 9C canalso include the architectural construct 3112. As shown in FIGS. 9B and9C, the layers 3114 of the architectural constructs 3112 are generallyaligned with the direction heat input and heat output to providethermally conductive passageways that efficiently transfer heat.Additionally, the architectural constructs 3112 of the first and/orsecond end caps 3108 and 3110 can be configured to apply a capillarypressure for a particular substance entering or exiting the conduit. Forexample, the composition, spacing, dopants, and/or thicknesses of thelayers 3114 of the architectural constructs 3112 can be modulated toselectively draw a particular substance between the layers 3114. Inselected embodiments, the architectural construct 3112 can include afirst zone of layers 3114 that are configured for a first substance anda second zone of layers 3114 that are configured for a second substanceto selectively remove and/or add two or more desired substances from theconduit 3102.

In further embodiments, the second end cap 3110 can utilize the sorbtiveproperties of the architectural constructs 3112 to selectively load adesired constituent of the working fluid 3122 between the layers 3114.The construction of the architectural construct 3112 can be manipulatedto obtain the requisite surface tension to load almost any element orsoluble. For example, the layers 3114 can be preloaded withpredetermined dopants or materials to adjust the surface tension ofadsorption along these surfaces. In certain embodiments, the layers 3114can be preloaded with CO₂ such that the architectural construct 3112 canselectively mine CO₂ from the working fluid 3122 as heat releasesthrough the second end cap 3110. In other embodiments, the layers 3114can be spaced apart from one another by a predetermined distance,include a certain coating, and/or otherwise be arranged to selectivelyload the desired constituent. In some embodiments, the desiredconstituent adsorbs onto the surfaces of individual layers 3114, whilein other embodiments the desired constituent absorbs into zones betweenthe layers 3114. In further embodiments, substances can be purposefullyfed into the conduit 3102 from the input portion 3104 (e.g., through thefirst end cap 3108) such that the added substance can combine or reactwith the working fluid 3122 to produce the desired constituent. Thus,the architectural construct 3112 at the second end cap 3110 canfacilitate selective mining of constituents. Additionally, thearchitectural construct 3112 can remove impurities and/or otherundesirable solubles that may have entered the conduit 3102 andpotentially interfere with the efficiency of the device 3200.

Similarly, in selected embodiments, the architectural construct 3112 atthe first end cap 3110 can also selectively load desired compoundsand/or elements to prevent them from ever entering the conduit 3102. Forexample, the architectural construct 3112 can filter out paraffins thatcan impede or otherwise interfere with the heat transfer of the device3200. In other embodiments, the devices 3200 can include other filtersthat may be used to prevent certain materials from entering the conduit3102.

Moreover, similar to selective loading of compounds and elements, thearchitectural construct 3112 at the first and second end caps 3108 and3110 may also be configured to absorb radiant energy of a desiredwavelength. For example, the layers 3114 can have a certain thickness,composition, spacing to absorb a particular wavelength of radiantenergy. In selected embodiments, the architectural construct 3112absorbs radiant energy of a first wavelength and converts it intoradiant energy of a second wavelength, retransmitting at least some ofthe absorbed energy. For example, the layers 3114 may be configured toabsorb ultraviolet radiation and convert the ultraviolet radiation intoinfrared radiation.

Additionally, the layers 3114 can also catalyze a reaction bytransferring heat to a zone where the reaction is to occur. In otherimplementations, the layers 3114 catalyze a reaction by transferringheat away from a zone where a reaction is to occur. For example, heatmay be conductively transferred into the layers 3114 (e.g., as discussedin U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/857,515, filed Aug. 16, 2010,entitled “APPARATUSES AND METHODS FOR STORING AND/OR FILTERING ASUBSTANCE” which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety) tosupply heat to an endothermic reaction within a support tube of thelayers 3114. In some implementations, the layers 3114 catalyze areaction by removing a product of the reaction from the zone where thereaction is to occur. For example, the layers 3114 may absorb alcoholfrom a biochemical reaction within a central support tube in whichalcohol is a byproduct, thereby expelling the alcohol on outer edges ofthe layers 3114, and prolonging the life of a microbe involved in thebiochemical reaction.

FIG. 9D is schematic cross-sectional view of a thermal transfer device3300 (“device 3300”) operating in a first direction in accordance with afurther embodiment of the present technology, and FIG. 9E is a schematiccross-sectional view of the device 3300 of FIG. 9D operating in a seconddirection opposite the first direction. Several features of the device3300 are generally similar to the features of the devices 3100 and 3200shown in FIGS. 9A-9C. For example, the device 3300 can include theconduit 3102, the first and second end caps 3108 and 3110, and thearchitectural construct 3112. As shown in FIGS. 9D and 9E, the sidewall3120 of the device 3300 can include two architectural constructs 3112: afirst architectural construct 3112 a having layers 3114 orientedparallel to the longitudinal axis 3118 of the conduit 3102 and a secondarchitectural construct 3112 b radially inward from the firstarchitectural construct 3112 a and having layers 3114 orientedperpendicular to the longitudinal axis 3118. The layers 3114 of thefirst architectural construct 3112 a can perform a capillary action, andthe layers 3114 of the second architectural construct 3112 b can formthermally conductive passageways that transfer heat away from the sideof the conduit 3102 and thereby increase the temperature differentialbetween the input and output portions 3104 and 3106.

Similar to the device 3100 shown in FIG. 9A, the device 3300 can alsooperate when the direction of heat flow changes and the input and outputportions 3104 and 3106 are inverted. As shown in FIG. 9D, for example,the device 3300 can absorb heat at the first end cap 3108 to vaporizethe working fluid 3122 at the input portion 3104, transfer the heat viathe vapor phase 3122 a of the working fluid 3122 through the conduit3102, and expel heat from the second end cap 3110 to condense theworking fluid 3122 at the output portion 3106. As further shown in FIG.9D, the liquid phase 3122 b of the working fluid 3122 can move betweenthe layers 3114 of the first architectural construct 3112 b by capillaryaction as described above with reference to FIG. 9A. In otherembodiments, the sidewall 3120 can include a different capillarystructure (e.g., cellulose) that can drive the liquid phase 3122 b fromthe output portion 3106 to the input portion 3104. As shown in FIG. 9E,the conditions can be reversed such that heat enters the device 3300proximate to the second end cap 3110 and exits the device 3300 proximateto the first end cap 3108. Advantageously, as discussed above, thedual-direction vapor-condensation cycle of the working fluid 3122accommodates environments in which the locations of the heat source andthe heat sink reverse.

In at least some embodiments, a heat pump can be used to transfer heat,in addition to or in lieu of a heat pipe, and the transferred heat canbe used to enhance the efficiency and/or performance of a reactor towhich the heat pump is coupled. In particular embodiments, the heat isextracted from a permafrost, geothermal, ocean and/or other source. FIG.9F is a partially schematic illustration of a reversible heat pump 3150positioned to receive heat from a source 3200 (e.g., a geothermalsource), as indicated by arrow H1, and deliver the heat at a highertemperature than that of the source, as indicated by arrow H2. The heatpump 3150 transfers heat via a working fluid that can operate in aclosed loop refrigeration cycle. Accordingly, the heat pump 3150 caninclude a compressor 3154, an expansion valve 3162, supply and returnconduits 3156, 3160, and first and second heat exchangers 3152, 3158. Inoperation, the working fluid receives heat from the source 3200 via thesecond heat exchanger 3158. The working fluid passes through the supplyconduit 3156 to the compressor 3154 where it is compressed, and deliversheat (e.g., to a non-combustion reactor) at the first heat exchanger3152. The working fluid then expands through the expansion valve 3162and returns to the second heat exchanger 3158 via the return conduit3160.

The working fluid can be selected based at least in part on thetemperature of the source 3200 and the required delivery temperature.For example, the working fluid can be a relatively inert fluid such asFreon, ammonia, or carbon dioxide. Such fluids are compatible withvarious polymer and metal components. These components can include tubeliner polymers such as fluorinated ethylene-propylene, perfluoroalkoxy,polyvinylidene fluoride, tetrafluoroethylene, an ethylene-propylenedimer, and/or many other materials that may be reinforced with fiberssuch as graphite, E-glass, S-glass, glass-ceramic or various organicfilaments to form the conduits 3156, 3160. The heat exchangers 3158 canbe made from metal alloys, e.g., Type 304 or other “300” seriesaustenitic stainless steels, aluminum alloys, brass or bronzeselections. The compressor 3154 can be a positive displacement orturbine type compressor depending upon factors that include the scale ofthe application. The expansion valve 3162 can be selected to meet thepressure drop and flow requirements of a particular application.

In a representative embodiment for which the source 3200 is at amoderate temperature (e.g., 125° F. (52° C.)), the working fluid caninclude carbon dioxide that is expanded through the valve 3162 to areduced temperature (e.g., 115° F. (46° C.)). The working fluid receivesheat at the source 3200 to achieve a representative temperature of 120°F. (49° C.). At the compressor 3154, the temperature of the workingfluid is elevated to a representative value of 325° F. (163° C.) orhigher. In particular embodiments, one or more additional heat pumpcycles (not shown) can be used to further elevate the deliverytemperature. It can be particularly advantageous to use heat pump cyclesto deliver heat at a higher temperature than the source 3200 becausesuch cycles typically deliver two to ten times more heat energy comparedto the energy required for operation of the compressor 3154.

In a generally similar manner, it can be advantageous to use one or moreheat pump cycles in reverse to cool a working fluid to a temperaturebelow the ambient temperature and thus “refrigerate” the substance beingcooled. For example, permafrost or methane hydrates in lake bottoms orocean deposits can be cooled to a temperature far below the ambienttemperature of the air or surrounding water in such applications.

Still further embodiments of suitable reactors with transmissivesurfaces are disclosed in pending U.S. application Ser. No. 13/027,244,filed Feb. 14, 2011, and incorporated herein by reference.

4.4 Representative Reactors with Solar Conveyors

FIG. 10A is a partially schematic illustration of a system 4100including a reactor vessel 4110 having a reaction zone 4111. The system4100 further includes a solar collector 4101 that directs solar energy4103 to the reaction zone 4111. The solar collector 4103 can include adish, trough, heliostat arrangement, fresnel lens and/or otherradiation-focusing element. The reactor vessel 4110 and the solarcollector 4101 can be mounted to a pedestal 4102 that allows the solarcollector 4101 to rotate about at least two orthogonal axes in order tocontinue efficiently focusing the solar energy 4103 as the earthrotates. The system 4100 can further include multiple reactant/productvessels 4170, including first and second reactant vessels 4170 a, 4170b, and first and second product vessels, 4170 c, 4170 d. In particularembodiments, the first reactant vessel 4170 a can provide a reactantthat contains hydrogen and carbon, such as methane, which is processedat the reaction zone 4111 in an endothermic reaction to produce hydrogenand carbon which is provided to the first and second product vessels4170 c, 4170 d, respectively. In other embodiments, other reactants, forexample, municipal solid waste streams, biomass reactants, and/or otherwaste streams can be provided at a hopper 4171 forming a portion of thesecond reactant vessel 4170 b. In any of these embodiments, an internalreactant delivery system and product removal system provide thereactants to the reaction zone 4111 and remove the products from thereaction zone 4111, as will be described in further detail later withreference to FIG. 10C.

The system 4100 can further include a supplemental heat source 4180 thatprovides heat to the reaction zone 4111 when the available solar energy4103 is insufficient to sustain the endothermic reaction at the reactionzone 4111. In a particular embodiment, the supplemental heat source 4180can include an inductive heater 4181 that is positioned away from thereaction zone 4111 during the day to allow the concentrated solar energy4103 to enter the reaction zone 4111, and can slide over the reactionzone 4111 at night to provide heat to the reaction zone 4111. Theinductive heater 4181 can be powered by a renewable clean energy source,for example, hydrogen produced by the reactor vessel 4110 during theday, or falling water, geothermal energy, wind energy, or other suitablesources.

In any of the foregoing embodiments, the system 4100 can further includea controller 4190 that receives input signals 4191 and directs theoperation of the devices making up the system 4100 via control signalsor other outputs 4192. For example, the controller 4190 can receive asignal from a radiation sensor 4193 indicating when the incident solarradiation is insufficient to sustain the reaction at the reaction zone4111. In response, the controller 4190 can issue a command to activatethe supplemental heat source 4180. The controller 4190 can also directthe reactant delivery and product removal systems, described furtherbelow with reference to FIG. 10C.

FIG. 10B is a partially schematic illustration of an embodiment of thereactor vessel 4110 shown in FIG. 10A, illustrating a transmissivecomponent 4112 positioned to allow the incident solar energy 4103 toenter the reaction zone 4111. In a particular embodiment, thetransmissive component 4112 can include a glass or other suitablytransparent, high temperature material that is easily transmissible tosolar radiation, and configured to withstand the high temperatures inthe reaction zone 4111. For example, temperatures at the reaction zone4111 are in some embodiments expected to reach 44000° F., and can behigher for the reactants and/or products.

In other embodiments, the transmissive component 4112 can include one ormore elements that absorb radiation at one wavelength and re-radiate itat another. For example, the transmissive component 4112 can include afirst surface 4113 a that receives incident solar energy at onewavelength and a second surface 4113 b that re-radiates the energy atanother wavelength into the reaction zone 4111. In this manner, theenergy provided to the reaction zone 4111 can be specifically tailoredto match or approximate the absorption characteristics of the reactantsand/or products placed within the reaction zone 4111. Further details ofrepresentative re-radiation devices were described above in Section 4.2.

In other embodiments, the reactor vessel 4110 can include otherstructures that perform related functions. For example, the reactorvessel 4110 can include a Venetian blind arrangement 4114 having firstand second surfaces 4113 a, 4113 b that can be pivoted to present onesurface or the other depending upon external conditions, e.g., the levelof incident solar energy 4103. In a particular aspect of thisembodiment, the first surface 4113 a can have a relatively highabsorptivity and a relatively low emissivity. This surface canaccordingly readily absorb radiation during the day. The second surface4113 b can have a relatively low absorptivity and a relatively highemissivity and can accordingly operate to cool the reaction zone 4111(or another component of the reactor 4110), e.g., at night. Arepresentative application of this arrangement is a reactor thatconducts both endothermic and exothermic reactions, as is describedfurther in Section 4.8 below. Further details of other arrangements foroperating the solar collector 4101 (FIG. 10A) in a cooling mode aredescribed in Section 4.5 below.

In still further embodiments, the reactor 4110 can include features thatredirect radiation that “spills” (e.g., is not precisely focused on thetransmissive component 4112) due to collector surface aberrations,environmental defects, non-parallel radiation, wind and/or otherdisturbances or distortions. These features can include additionalVenetian blinds 4114 a that can be positioned and/or adjusted toredirect radiation (with or without wavelength shifting) into thereaction zone 4111.

FIG. 10C is a partially schematic, cross-sectional illustration of aportion of a reactor vessel 4110 configured in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure. In one aspect of this embodiment,the reactor 4110 includes a reactant delivery system 4130 that ispositioned within a generally cylindrical, barrel-shaped reactor vessel4110, and a product removal system 4140 positioned annularly inwardlyfrom the reactant delivery system 4130. For example, the reactantdelivery system 4130 can include an outer screw 4131, which in turnincludes an outer screw shaft 4132 and outwardly extending outer screwthreads 4133. The outer screw 4131 has an axially extending first axialopening 4135 in which the product removal system 4140 is positioned. Theouter screw 4131 rotates about a central rotation axis 4115, asindicated by arrow O. As it does so, it carries at least one reactant4134 (e.g., a gaseous, liquid, and/or solid reactant) upwardly and tothe right as shown in FIG. 10C, toward the reaction zone 4111. As thereactant 4134 is carried within the outer screw threads 4133, it is alsocompacted, potentially releasing gases and/or liquids, which can escapethrough louvers and/or other openings 4118 located annularly outwardlyfrom the outer screw 4131. As the reactant 4134 becomes compacted in theouter screw threads 4133, it forms a seal against an inner wall 4119 ofthe vessel 4110. This arrangement can prevent losing the reactant 4134,and can instead force the reactant 4134 to move toward the reaction zone4111. The reactant delivery system 4130 can include other features, inaddition to the outer screw threads 4133, to force the reactant 4134toward the reaction zone 4111. For example, the inner wall 4119 of thereactor vessel 4110 can include one or more spiral rifle grooves 4116that tend to force the reactant 4134 axially as the outer screw 4131rotates. In addition to, or in lieu of this feature, the entire outerscrew 4131 can reciprocate back and forth, as indicated by arrow R toprevent the reactant 4134 from sticking to the inner wall 4119, and/orto release reactant 4134 that may stick to the inner wall 4119. A barrelheater 4117 placed near the inner wall 4119 can also reduce reactantsticking, in addition to or in lieu of the foregoing features. In aleast some embodiments, it is expected that the reactant 4134 will beless likely to stick when warm.

The reactant 4134 can include a variety of suitable compositions, e.g.,compositions that provide a hydrogen donor to the reaction zone 4111. Inrepresentative embodiments, the reactant 4134 can include biomassconstituents, e.g., municipal solid waste, commercial waste, forestproduct waste or slash, cellulose, lignocellulose, hydrocarbon waste(e.g., tires), and/or others. After being compacted, these wasteproducts can be highly subdivided, meaning that they can readily absorbincident radiation due to rough surface features and/or surface featuresthat re-reflect and ultimately absorb incident radiation. This propertycan further improve the efficiency with which the reactant 4134 heats upin the reaction zone 4111.

Once the reactant 4134 has been delivered to the reaction zone 4111, itreceives heat from the incident solar energy 4103 or another source, andundergoes an endothermic reaction. The reaction zone 4111 can have anannular shape and can include insulation 4120 to prevent heat fromescaping from the vessel 4110. In one embodiment, the endothermicreaction taking place at the reaction zone 4111 includes dissociatingmethane, and reforming the carbon and hydrogen constituents intoelemental carbon and diatomic hydrogen, or other carbon compounds (e.g.,oxygenated carbon in the form of carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide) andhydrogen compounds. The resulting product 4146 can include gaseousportions (indicated by arrow G), which passed annularly inwardly fromthe reaction zone 4111 to be collected by the product removal system4140. Solid portions 4144 (e.g., ash and/or other byproducts) of theproduct 4146 are also collected by the product removal system 4140.

The product removal system 4140 can include an inner screw 4141positioned in the first axial opening 4135 within the outer screw 4131.The inner screw 4141 can include an inner screw shaft 4142 and innerscrew threads 4143. The inner screw 4141 can also rotate about therotation axis 4115, as indicated by arrow I, in the same direction asthe outer screw 4131 or in the opposite direction. The inner screw 4141includes a second axial passage 4145 having openings that allow thegaseous product G to enter. The gaseous product G travels down thesecond axial opening 4145 to be collected and, in at least someinstances, further processed (e.g., to isolate the carbon produced inthe reaction from the hydrogen produced in the reaction). In particularembodiments, the gaseous product G can exchange additional heat with theincoming reactant 4134 via an additional heat exchanger (not shown inFIG. 10C) to cool the product G and heat the reactant 4134. In otherembodiments, the gaseous product G can be cooled by driving a Stirlingengine or other device to generate mechanical and/or electric power. Asthe inner screw 4141 rotates, it carries the solid portions 4144 of theproduct 4146 downwardly and to the left as shown in FIG. 10C. The solidproducts 4144 (and the gaseous product G) can convey heat via conductionto the outer screw 4130 to heat the incoming reactant 4134, after whichthe solid portions 4144 can be removed for use. For example, nitrogenousand/or sulfurous products from the reaction performed at the reactionzone 4111 can be used in agricultural or industrial processes. Theproducts and therefore the chemical and physical composition of thesolid portions can depend on the characteristics of the incomingreactants, which can vary widely, e.g., from municipal solid waste toindustrial waste to biomass.

As discussed above with reference to FIGS. 10A and 10B, the system 4100can include features that direct energy (e.g., heat) into the reactionzone 4111 even when the available solar energy is insufficient tosustain the reaction. In an embodiment shown in FIG. 10C, thesupplemental heat source 4180 can include combustion reactants 4182(e.g., an oxidizer and/or a hydrogen-containing combustible material)that is directed through a delivery tube 4184 positioned in the secondaxial opening 4145 to a combustor or combustor zone 4183 that is inthermal communication with the reaction zone 4111. During the night orother periods of time when the incident solar energy is low, thesupplemental heat source 4180 can provide additional heat to thereaction zone 4111 to sustain the endothermic reaction taking placetherein.

One feature of an embodiment described above with reference to FIG. 10Cis that the incoming reactant 4134 can be in close or intimate thermalcommunication with the solid product 4144 leaving the reaction zone. Inparticular, the outer screw shaft 4132 and outer screw threads 4133 canbe formed from a highly thermally conductive material, so as to receiveheat from the solid product 4144 carried by the inner screw 4141, anddeliver the heat to the incoming reactant 4134. An advantage of thisarrangement is that it is thermally efficient because it removes heatfrom products that would otherwise be cooled in a manner that wastes theheat, and at the same time heats the incoming reactants 4134, thusreducing the amount of heat that must be produced by the solarconcentrator 4101 (FIG. 10A) and/or the supplemental heat source 4180.By improving the efficiency with which hydrogen and/or carbon or otherbuilding blocks are produced in the reactor vessel 4110, the reactorsystem 4100 can increase the commercial viability of the renewablereactants and energy sources used to produce the products.

Still further embodiments of suitable reactors with solar conveyors aredisclosed in issued U.S. Pat. No. 8,187,549, incorporated herein byreference.

4.5 Representative Reactors with Solar Concentrators

FIG. 11A is a partially schematic, partial cross-sectional illustrationof a system 5100 having a reactor 5110 coupled to a solar concentrator5120 in accordance with the particular embodiment of the technology. Inone aspect of this embodiment, the solar concentrator 5120 includes adish 5121 mounted to pedestal 5122. The dish 5121 can include aconcentrator surface 5123 that receives incident solar energy 5126, anddirects the solar energy as focused solar energy 5127 toward a focalarea 5124. The dish 5121 can be coupled to a concentrator actuator 5125that moves the dish 5121 about at least two orthogonal axes in order toefficiently focus the solar energy 5126 as the earth rotates. As will bedescribed in further detail below, the concentrator actuator 5125 canalso be configured to deliberately position the dish 5121 to face awayfrom the sun during a cooling operation.

The reactor 5110 can include one or more reaction zones 5111, shown inFIG. 11A as a first reaction zone 5111 a and second reaction zone 5111b. In a particular embodiment, the first reaction zone 5111 a ispositioned at the focal area 5124 to receive the focused solar energy5127 and facilitate a dissociation reaction or other endothermicreaction. Accordingly, the system 5100 can further include adistribution/collection system 5140 that provides reactants to thereactor 5110 and collects products received from the reactor 5110. Inone aspect of this embodiment, the distribution/collection system 5140includes a reactant source 5141 that directs a reactant to the firstreaction zone 5111 a, and one or more product collectors 5142 (two areshown in FIG. 11A as a first product collector 5142 a and a secondproduct collector 5142 b) that collect products from the reactor 5110.When the reactor 5110 includes a single reaction zone (e.g. the firstreaction zone 5111 a) the product collectors 5142 a, 5142 b can collectproducts directly from the first reaction zone 5111 a. In anotherembodiment, intermediate products produced at the first reaction zone5111 a are directed to the second reaction zone 5111 b. At the secondreaction zone 5111 b, the intermediate products can undergo anexothermic reaction, and the resulting products are then delivered tothe product collectors 5142 a, 5142 b along a product flow path 5154.For example, in a representative embodiment, the reactant source 5141can include methane and carbon dioxide, which are provided (e.g., in anindividually controlled manner) to the first reaction zone 5111 a andheated to produce carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The carbon monoxide andhydrogen are then provided to the second reaction zone 5111 b to producemethanol in an exothermic reaction. Further details of this arrangementand associated heat transfer processes between the first reaction zone5111 a and second reaction zone 5111 b are described in more detailbelow in Section 4.8.

In at least some instances, it is desirable to provide cooling to thereactor 5110, in addition to the solar heating described above. Forexample, cooling can be used to remove heat produced by the exothermicreaction being conducted at the second reaction zone 5111 b and thusallow the reaction to continue. When the product produced at the secondreaction zone 5111 b includes methanol, it may desirable to further coolthe methanol to a liquid to provide for convenient storage andtransportation. Accordingly, the system 5100 can include features thatfacilitate using the concentrator surface 5123 to cool components orconstituents at the reactor 5110. In a particular embodiment, the system5100 includes a first heat exchanger 5150 a operatively coupled to aheat exchanger actuator 5151 b that moves the first heat exchanger 5150a relative to the focal area 5124. The first heat exchanger 5150 a caninclude a heat exchanger fluid that communicates thermally with theconstituents in the reactor 5110, but is in fluid isolation from theseconstituents to avoid contaminating the constituents and/or interferingwith the reactions taking place in the reactor 5110. The heat exchangerfluid travels around a heat exchanger fluid flow path 5153 in a circuitfrom the first heat exchanger 5150 a to a second heat exchanger 5150 band back. At the second heat exchanger 5150 b, the heat exchanger fluidreceives heat from the product (e.g. methanol) produced by the reactor5110 as the product proceeds from the second reaction zone 5111 b to thedistribution/collection system 5140. The heat exchanger fluid flow path5153 delivers the heated heat exchanger fluid back to the first heatexchanger 5150 a for cooling. One or more strain relief features 5152 inthe heat exchanger fluid flow path 5153 (e.g., coiled conduits)facilitate the movement of the first heat exchanger 5150 a. The system5100 can also include a controller 5190 that receives input signals 5191from any of a variety of sensors, transducers, and/or other elements ofthe system 5100, and, in response to information received from theseelements, delivers control signals 5192 to adjust operational parametersof the system 5100.

FIG. 11B illustrates one mechanism by which the heat exchanger fluidprovided to the first heat exchanger 5150 a is cooled. In thisembodiment, the controller 5190 directs the heat exchanger actuator 5151to drive the first heat exchanger 5150 a from the position shown in FIG.11A to the focal area 5124, as indicated by arrows A. In addition, thecontroller 5190 can direct the concentrator actuator 5125 to positionthe dish 5121 so that the concentrator surface 5123 points away from thesun and to an area of the sky having very little radiant energy. Ingeneral, this process can be completed at night, when it is easier toavoid the radiant energy of the sun and the local environment, but in atleast some embodiments, this process can be conducted during the daytimeas well. A radiant energy sensor 5193 coupled to the controller 5190 candetect when the incoming solar radiation passes below a threshold level,indicating a suitable time for positioning the first heat exchanger 5150a in the location shown in FIG. 11B.

With the first heat exchanger 5150 a in the position shown in FIG. 11B,the hot heat transfer fluid in the heat exchanger 5150 a radiatesemitted energy 5128 that is collected by the dish 5121 at theconcentrator surface 5123 and redirected outwardly as directed emittedenergy 5129. An insulator 5130 positioned adjacent to the focal area5124 can prevent the radiant energy from being emitted in directionother than toward the concentrator surface 5123. By positioning theconcentrator surface 5123 to point to a region in space having verylittle radiative energy, the region in space can operate as a heat sink,and can accordingly receive the directed emitted energy 5129 rejected bythe first heat exchanger 5150 a. The heat exchanger fluid, after beingcooled at the first heat exchanger 5150 a returns to the second heatexchanger 5150 b to absorb more heat from the product flowing along theproduct flow path 5154. Accordingly, the concentrator surface 5123 canbe used to cool as well as to heat elements of the reactor 5110.

In a particular embodiment, the first heat exchanger 5150 a ispositioned as shown in FIG. 11A during the day, and as positioned asshown in FIG. 11B during the night. In other embodiments, multiplesystems 5100 can be coupled together, some with the corresponding firstheat exchanger 5150 a positioned as shown in FIG. 11A, and others withthe first heat exchanger 5150 a positioned as shown in FIG. 11B, toprovide simultaneous heating and cooling. In any of these embodiments,the cooling process can be used to liquefy methanol, and/or provideother functions. Such functions can include liquefying or solidifyingother substances, e.g., carbon dioxide, ethanol, butanol or hydrogen.

In particular embodiments, the reactants delivered to the reactor 5110are selected to include hydrogen, which is dissociated from the otherelements of the reactant (e.g. carbon, nitrogen, boron, silicon, atransition metal, and/or sulfur) to produce a hydrogen-based fuel (e.g.diatomic hydrogen) and a structural building block that can be furtherprocessed to produce durable goods. Such durable goods include graphite,graphene, and/or polymers, which may produced from carbon structuralbuilding blocks, and other suitable compounds formed from hydrogenous orother structural building blocks. Further details of suitable processesand products are disclosed in the following co-pending U.S. PatentApplications: Ser. No. 13/027,208 titled “CHEMICAL PROCESSES ANDREACTORS FOR EFFICIENTLY PRODUCING HYDROGEN FUELS AND STRUCTURALMATERIALS, AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS”; Ser. No. 13/027,214titled “ARCHITECTURAL CONSTRUCT HAVING FOR EXAMPLE A PLURALITY OFARCHITECTURAL CRYSTALS”; and Ser. No. 12/027,068 titled “CARBON-BASEDDURABLE GOODS AND RENEWABLE FUEL FROM BIOMASS WASTE DISSOCIATION”, allof which were filed Feb. 14, 2011 and are incorporated herein byreference.

FIG. 11C illustrates a system 5300 having a reactor 5310 with a movabledish 5321 configured in accordance another embodiment of the disclosedtechnology. In a particular aspect of this embodiment, the reactor 5310includes a first reaction zone 5311 a and a second reaction zone 5311 b,with the first reaction zone 5311 a receiving focused solar energy 5127when the dish 5321 has a first position, shown in solid lines in FIG.11C. The dish 5321 is coupled to a dish actuator 5331 that moves thedish 5321 relative to the reaction zones 5311 a, 5311 b. Accordingly,during a second phase of operation, the controller 5190 directs the dishactuator 5331 to move the dish 5321 to the second position shown indashed lines in FIG. 11C. In one embodiment, this arrangement can beused to provide heat to the second reaction zone 5311 b when the dish5321 is in the second position. In another embodiment, this arrangementcan be used to cool the second reaction zone 5311 b. Accordingly, thecontroller 5190 can direct the concentrator actuator 5125 to point thedish 5321 to a position in the sky having little or no radiant energy,thus allowing the second reaction zone 5311 b to reject heat to the dish5321 and ultimately to space, in a manner generally similar to thatdescribed above with reference to FIGS. 11A and 11B.

Still further embodiments of suitable reactors with solar concentratorsare disclosed in issued U.S. Pat. No. 8,187,550, incorporated herein byreference.

4.6 Representative Reactors with Induction Heating

FIG. 12 is a partially schematic, partial cross-sectional illustrationof a system 6100 having a reactor 6110 configured in accordance with anembodiment of the presently disclosed technology. In one aspect of thisembodiment, the reactor 6110 includes a reactor vessel 6111 having areaction or induction zone 6123 which is heated by an induction coil6120. The induction coil 6120 can be a liquid-cooled, high frequencyalternating current coil coupled to a suitable electrical power source6121. The reactor vessel 6111 can further include an entrance port 6112coupled to a precursor gas source 6101 to receive a suitable precursorgas, and an exit port 6113 positioned to remove spent gas and/or otherconstituents from the vessel 6111. In a particular embodiment, theprecursor gas source 6101 carries a hydrocarbon gas (e.g., methane),which is dissociated into carbon and hydrogen at the induction zone6123. The carbon is then deposited on a substrate to form a product, asis described further below, and the hydrogen and/or other constituentsare removed for further processing, as is also described further below.

The reaction vessel 6111 houses a first support 6114 a having a firstsupport surface 6115 a, and a second support 6114 b having a secondsupport surface 6115 b facing toward the first support surface 6115 a.Each support 6114 a, 6114 b can carry a substrate upon which one or moreconstituents of the precursor gas are deposited. For example, the firstsupport 6114 a can carry a first substrate 6130 a and the second support6114 b can carry a second substrate 6130 b. In a representativeembodiment in which the precursor gas is selected to deposit carbon, thefirst and second substances 6130 a, 6130 b can also include carbon,e.g., in the form of graphite or a constituent of steel. When theprecursor gas includes a different deposition element (e.g., nitrogenand/or boron), the composition of the first and second substrates 6130a, 6130 b can be different. Each of the substrates 6130 a, 6130 b canhave an initially exposed surface facing the other. Accordingly, thefirst substrate 6130 a can have an exposed first surface 6131 a facingtoward a second exposed surface 6131 b of the second substrate 6130 b.The remaining surfaces of each substrate 6130 a, 6130 b can be insulatedto prevent or significantly restrict radiation losses from thesesurfaces. The supports 6114 a, 6114 b can insulate at least one surfaceof each of the substrates 6130 a, 6130 b. The other surfaces (other thanthe exposed first and second substrates 6131 a, 6131 b) can be protectedby a corresponding insulator 6132. The insulator 6132 can be formed froma suitable high temperature ceramic or other material.

The system 6100 can further include a controller 6190 that receivesinput signals 6191 from any of a variety of sensors, transducers, and/orother elements of the system 6100, and in response to informationreceived from these elements, delivers control signals 6192 to adjustoperational parameters of the system 6100. These parameters can includethe pressures and flow rates with which the gaseous constituents areprovided to and/or removed from the reactor vessel 6111, the operationof the induction coil 6120 and associated power source 6121, and theoperation of a separator 6103 (described below), among others.

In operation, the precursor gas source 6101 supplies gas to theinduction zone 6123, the induction coil 6120 is activated, and theprecursor gas dissociates into at least one constituent (e.g., carbon)that is deposited onto the first and second substrates 6130 a, 6130 b.The constituent can be deposited in an epitaxial process that preservesthe crystal grain orientation of the corresponding substrate 6130 a,6130 b. Accordingly, the deposited constituent can also have a crystaland/or other self-organized structure. As the constituent is deposited,it forms a first formed structure or product 6140 a at the firstsubstrate 6130 a, and a second formed structure or product 6140 b at thesecond substrate 6130 b. The first and second formed structures 6140 a,6140 b each have a corresponding exposed surface 6141 a, 6141 b facingtoward the other. The structures 6140 a, 6140 b can have the same ordifferent cross-sectional shapes and/or areas, and/or can havenon-crystalline, single crystal or multicrystal organizations, dependingupon the selected embodiment. Radiation emitted by the first exposedsurface 6131 a of the first substrate 6130 a, and/or by the firstexposed surface 6141 a of the first formed structure 6140 a(collectively identified by arrow R1) is received at the second exposedsurface 6141 b of the second formed structure 6140 b, and/or the secondexposed surface 6131 b of the second substrate 6130 b. Similarly,radiation emitted by the second exposed surface 6141 b of the secondformed structure 6140 b and/or the second exposed surface 6131 b of thesecond substrate 6130 b (collectively identified by arrow R2) isreceived at the first formed structure 6140 a and/or the first substrate6130 a.

As the formed structures 6140 a, 6140 b grow, the exit port 6113provides an opening through which residual constituents from thedissociated precursor gas and/or non-dissociated quantities of theprecursor gas can pass. These constituents are directed to a collectionsystem 6102, which can include a separator 6103 configured to separatethe constituents into two or more flow streams. For example, theseparator 6103 can direct one stream of constituents to a first productcollector 6104 a, and a second stream of constituents to a secondproduct collector 6104 b. In a particular embodiment, the first productcollector 6104 a can collect pure or substantially pure hydrogen, whichcan be delivered to a hydrogen-based fuel cell 6105 or other device thatrequires hydrogen at a relatively high level of purity. The secondstream of constituents directed to the second product collector 6104 bcan include hydrogen mixed with other elements or compounds. Suchelements or compounds can include methane or another undissociatedprecursor gas, and/or carbon (or another element or compound targetedfor deposition) that was not deposited on the first substrate 6130 a orthe second substrate 6130 b. These constituents can be directed to anengine 6106, for example, a turbine engine or another type of internalcombustion engine that can burn a mixture of hydrogen and the otherconstituents. The engine 6106 and/or the fuel cell 6105 can providepower for any number of devices, including the electrical power source6121 for the inductive coil 6120. In another aspect of this embodiment,at least some of the constituents (e.g., undissociated precursor gas)received at the second collector 6104 b can be directed back into thereactor 6110 via the entrance port 6112.

An advantage of the foregoing arrangement is that the radiation lossestypically encountered in a chemical vapor deposition apparatus can beavoided by positioning multiple substrates in a manner that allowsradiation emitted from one surface to be received by another surfacethat is also targeted for deposition. In a particular embodiment shownin FIG. 12, two substrates are shown, each having a single exposedsurface facing the other. In other embodiments, additional substratescan be positioned (e.g., in a plane extending inwardly and/or outwardlytransverse to the plane of FIG. 12) to allow additional exposed surfacesof a formed product to radiate heat to corresponding surfaces of otherformed products.

Another advantage of the foregoing arrangement is that it can be used toproduce a structural building block and/or an architectural construct,as well as clean burning hydrogen fuel from a hydrogen donor. When theprecursor gas includes a hydrocarbon, the architectural construct caninclude graphene and/or another carbon-bearing material, for example, amaterial that can be further processed to form a carbon-based compositeor a carbon-based polymer. In other embodiments, the precursor gas caninclude other elements (e.g., boron, nitrogen, sulfur, silicon, and/or atransition metal) than can also be used to form structural buildingblocks that contain the element, and/or architectural constructs formedfrom the building blocks. Suitable processes and representativearchitectural constructs are further described in the followingco-pending U.S. Patent Applications, all of which were filed on Feb. 14,2011 and are incorporated herein by reference: application Ser. No.13/027,208; application Ser. No. 13/027,214; and application Ser. No.13/027,068.

One feature of an embodiment described above with reference to FIG. 12is that it may be conducted in a batch process. For example, each of thefirst and second formed structures 6140 a, 6140 b can be grown by aparticular amount and then removed from the reaction vessel 6111. Inother embodiments, the products can be formed in a continuous manner,without the need for halting the reaction to remove the product.

Still further embodiments of suitable reactors with induction heatingare disclosed in pending U.S. application Ser. No. 13/027,215, filedFeb. 14, 2011, and incorporated herein by reference.

4.7 Representative Reactors Using Engine Heat

FIG. 13 is a partially schematic illustration of system 7100 thatincludes a reactor 7110 in combination with a radiant energy/reactantsource 7150 in accordance with another embodiment of the technology. Inthis embodiment, the radiant energy/reactant source 7150 includes anengine 7180, e.g., an internal combustion engine having a piston 7182that reciprocates within a cylinder 7181. In other embodiments, theengine 7180 can have other configurations, for example, an externalcombustion configuration. In an embodiment shown in FIG. 13, the engine7180 includes an intake port 7184 a that is opened and closed by anintake valve 7183 a to control air entering the cylinder 7181 through anair filter 7178. The air flow can be unthrottled in an embodiment shownin FIG. 13, and can be throttled in other embodiments. A fuel injector7185 directs fuel into the combustion zone 7179 where it mixes with theair and ignites to produce the combustion products 7152. Additional fuelcan be introduced by an injection valve 7189 a. The combustion products7152 exit the cylinder 7181 via an exhaust port 7184 b controlled by anexhaust valve 7183 b. Further details of representative engines andignition systems are disclosed in co-pending U.S. application Ser. No.12/653,085 filed on Dec. 7, 2010, and incorporated herein by reference.

The engine 7180 can include features specifically designed to integratethe operation of the engine with the operation of the reactor 7110. Forexample, the engine 7180 and the reactor 7110 can share fuel from acommon fuel source 7130 which is described in further detail below. Thefuel is provided to the fuel injector 7185 via a regulator 7186. Theengine 7180 can also receive end products from the reactor 7110 via afirst conduit or passage 7177 a, and water (e.g., liquid or steam) fromthe reactor 7110 via a second conduit or passage 7177 b. Further aspectsof these features are described in greater detail below, following adescription of the other features of the overall system 7100.

The system 7100 shown in FIG. 13 also includes heat exchangers andseparators configured to transfer heat and segregate reaction productsin accordance with the disclosed technology. In a particular aspect ofthis embodiment, the system 7100 includes a steam/water source 7140 thatprovides steam to the reactor vessel 7111 to facilitate productformation. Steam from the steam/water source 7140 can be provided to thereactor 7110 via at least two channels. The first channel includes afirst water path 7141 a that passes through a first heat exchanger 7170a and into the reactor vessel 7111 via a first steam distributor 7116 a.Products removed from the reactor vessel 7111 pass through a reactorproduct exit port 7117 and along a products path 7161. The products path7161 passes through the first heat exchanger 7170 a in a counter-flow orcounter-current manner to cool the products and heat the steam enteringthe reactor vessel 7111. The products continue to a reaction productseparator 7171 a that segregates useful end products (e.g., hydrogen andcarbon or carbon compounds). At least some of the products are thendirected back to the engine 7180, and other products are then collectedat a products collector 7160 a. A first valve 7176 a regulates theproduct flow. Water remaining in the products path 7161 can be separatedat the reaction product separator 7171 a and returned to the steam/watersource 7140.

The second channel via which the steam/water source 7140 provides steamto the reactor 7110 includes a second water path 7141 b that passesthrough a second heat exchanger 7170 b. Water proceeding along thesecond water path 7141 b enters the reactor 7110 in the form of steamvia a second stream distributor 7116 b. This water is heated bycombustion products that have exited the combustion zone 7179 and passedthrough the transfer passage 7118 (which can include a transmissivesurface 7119) along a combustion products path 7154. The spentcombustion products 7152 are collected at a combustion productscollector 7160 b and can include nitrogen compounds, phosphates, re-usedilluminant additives (e.g., sources of sodium, magnesium and/orpotassium), and/or other compositions that may be recycled or used forother purposes (e.g., agricultural purposes). The illuminant additivescan be added to the combustion products 7152 (and/or the fuel used bythe engine 7180) upstream of the reactor 7110 to increase the amount ofradiant energy available for transmission into the reaction zone 7112.

In addition to heating water along the second water path 7141 b andcooling the combustion products along the combustion products path 7154,the second heat exchanger 7170 b can heat the hydrogen donor passingalong a donor path 7131 to a donor distributor 7115 located within thereactor vessel 7111. The donor vessel 7130 houses a hydrogen donor,e.g., a hydrocarbon such as methane, or a nitrogenous donor such asammonia. The donor vessel 7130 can include one or more heaters 7132(shown as first heater 7132 a and a second heater 7132 b) to vaporizeand/or pressurize the hydrogen donor within. A three-way valve 7133 anda regulator 7134 control the amount of fluid and/or vapor that exits thedonor vessel 7130 and passes along the donor path 7131 through thesecond heat exchanger 7170 b and into the reactor vessel 7111. Asdiscussed above, the hydrogen donor can also serve as a fuel for theengine 7180, in at least some embodiments, and can be delivered to theengine 7180 via a third conduit or passage 7177 c.

In the reactor vessel 7111, the combustion products 7152 pass throughthe combustion products passage 7118 while delivering radiant energyand/or reactants through the transmissive surface 7119 into the reactionzone 7112. After passing through the second heat exchanger 7170 b, thecombustion products 7152 can enter a combustion products separator 7171b that separates water from the combustion products. The water returnsto the steam/water source 7140 and the remaining combustion products arecollected at the combustion products collector 7160 b. In a particularembodiment, the separator 7171 b can include a centrifugal separatorthat is driven by the kinetic energy of the combustion product stream.If the kinetic energy of the combustion product stream is insufficientto separate the water by centrifugal force, a motor/generator 7172 canadd energy to the separator 7171 b to provide the necessary centrifugalforce. If the kinetic energy of the combustion product stream is greaterthan is necessary to separate water, the motor/generator 7172 canproduce energy, e.g., to be used by other components of the system 7100.The controller 7190 receives inputs from the various elements of thesystem 7100 and controls flow rates, pressures, temperatures, and/orother parameters.

The controller 7190 can also control the return of reactor products tothe engine 7180. For example, the controller can direct reactionproducts and/or recaptured water back to the engine 7180 via a series ofvalves. In a particular embodiment, the controller 7190 can direct theoperation of the first valve 7176 a which directs hydrogen and carbonmonoxide obtained from the first separator 7171 a to the engine 7180 viathe first conduit 7177 a. These constituents can be burned in thecombustion zone 7179 to provide additional power from the engine 7180.In some instances, it may be desirable to cool the combustion zone 7179and/or other elements of the engine 7180 as shown. In such instances,the controller 7190 can control a flow of water or steam to the engine7180 via second and third valves 7176 b, 7176 c and the correspondingsecond conduit 7177 b.

In some instances, it may be desirable to balance the energy provided tothe reactor 7110 with energy extracted from the engine 7180 used forother proposes. According, the system 7100 can included a proportioningvalve 7187 in the combustion products stream that can direct somecombustion products 7152 to a power extraction device 7188, for example,a turbo-alternator, turbocharger or a supercharger. When the powerextraction device 7188 includes a supercharger, it operates to compressair entering the engine cylinder 7181 via the intake port 7184 a. Whenthe extraction device 7188 includes a turbocharger, it can include anadditional fuel injection valve 7189 b that directs fuel into themixture of combustion products for further combustion to produceadditional power. This power can supplement the power provided by theengine 7180, or it can be provided separately, e.g., via a separateelectrical generator.

As is evident from the forgoing discussion, one feature of the system7100 is that it is specifically configured to conserve and reuse energyfrom the combustion products 7152. Accordingly, the system 7100 caninclude additional features that are designed to reduce energy lossesfrom the combustion products 7152. Such features can include insulationpositioned around the cylinder 7181, at the head of the piston 7182,and/or at the ends of the valves 7183 a, 7183 b. Accordingly, theinsulation prevents or at least restricts heat from being conveyed awayfrom the engine 7180 via any thermal channel other than the passage7118.

One feature of at least some of the foregoing embodiments is that thereactor system can include a reactor and an engine linked in aninterdependent manner. In particular, the engine can provide waste heatthat facilitates a dissociation process conducted at the reactor toproduce a hydrogen-based fuel and a non-hydrogen based structuralbuilding block. The building block can include a molecule containingcarbon, boron, nitrogen, silicon and/or sulfur, and can be used to forman architectural construct. Representative examples of architecturalconstructs, in addition to the polymers and composites described aboveare described in further detail in co-pending U.S. application Ser. No.12/027,214, previously incorporated herein by reference. An advantage ofthis arrangement is that it can provide a synergy between the engine andthe reactor. For example, the energy inputs normally required by thereactor to conduct the dissociation processes described above can bereduced by virtue of the additional energy provided by the combustionproduct. The efficiency of the engine can be improved by addingclean-burning hydrogen to the combustion chamber, and/or by providingwater (e.g., in steam or liquid form) for cooling the engine. Althoughboth the steam and the hydrogen-based fuel are produced by the reactor,they can be delivered to the engine at different rates and/or can varyin accordance with different schedules and/or otherwise in differentmanners.

Still further embodiments of suitable reactors with using engine heatare disclosed in pending U.S. application Ser. No. 13/027,198, filedFeb. 14, 2011, and incorporated herein by reference.

4.8 Representative Exothermic/Endothermic Reactors

FIG. 14 is a partially schematic, cross-sectional illustration ofparticular components of the system 8100, including the reactor vessel8101. The reactor vessel 8101 includes the first reaction zone 8110positioned toward the upper left of Figure R8-2 (e.g., at a firstreactor portion) to receive incident solar radiation 8106, e.g., througha solar transmissive surface 8107. The second reaction zone 8120 is alsopositioned within the reactor vessel 8101, e.g., at a second reactorportion, to receive products from the first reaction zone 8110 and toproduce an end product, for example, methanol. Reactant sources 8153provide reactants to the reactor vessel 8101, and a product collector8123 collects the resulting end product. A regulation system 8150, whichcan include valves 8151 or other regulators and corresponding actuators8152, is coupled to the reactant sources 8153 to control the delivery ofreactants to the first reaction zone 8110 and to control other flowswithin the system 8100. In other embodiments, the valves can be replacedby or supplemented with other mechanisms, e.g., pumps.

In a particular embodiment, the reactant sources 8153 include a methanesource 8153 a and a carbon dioxide source 8153 b. The methane source8153 a is coupled to a first reactant valve 8151 a having acorresponding actuator 8152 a, and the carbon dioxide source 8153 b iscoupled to a second reactant valve 8151 b having a correspondingactuator 8152 b. The reactants pass into the reaction vessel 8101 andare conducted upwardly around the second reaction zone 8120 and thefirst reaction zone 8110 as indicated by arrows A. As the reactantstravel through the reactor vessel 8101, they can receive heat from thefirst and second reaction zones 8110, 8120 and from products passingfrom the first reaction zone 8110 to the second reaction zone 8120, aswill be described in further detail later. The reactants enter the firstreaction zone 8110 at a first reactant port 8111. At the first reactionzone 8110, the reactants can undergo the following reaction:CH₄+CO₂+HEAT→2CO+2H₂  [Equation R8-1]

In a particular embodiment, the foregoing endothermic reaction isconducted at about 900° C. and at pressures of up to about 1,500 psi. Inother embodiments, reactions with other reactants can be conducted atother temperatures at the first reaction zone 8110. The first reactionzone 8110 can include any of a variety of suitable catalysts, forexample, a nickel/aluminum oxide catalyst. In particular embodiments,the reactants and/or the first reaction zone 8110 can be subjected toacoustic pressure fluctuation (in addition to the overall pressurechanges caused by introducing reactants, undergoing the reaction, andremoving products from the first reaction zone 8110) to aid indelivering the reactants to the reaction sites of the catalyst. In anyof these embodiments, the products produced at the first reaction zone8110 (e.g. carbon monoxide and hydrogen) exit the first reaction zone8110 at a first product port 8112 and enter a first heat exchanger 8140a. The first products travel through the first heat exchanger 8140 aalong a first flow path 8141 and transfer heat to the incoming reactantstraveling along a second flow path 8142. Accordingly, the incomingreactants can be preheated at the first heat exchanger 8140 a, and byvirtue of passing along or around the outside of the first reaction zone8110. In particular embodiments, one or more surfaces of the first heatexchanger 8140 a can include elements or materials that absorb radiationat one frequency and re-radiate it at another. Further details ofsuitable materials and arrangements are disclosed in Section 4.2 above.

The first products enter the second reaction zone 8120 via a secondreactant port 8121 and a check valve 8156 or other flow inhibitor. Thecheck valve 8156 is configured to allow a one-way flow of the firstproducts into the second reaction zone 8120 when the pressure of thefirst products exceeds the pressure in the second reaction zone 8120. Inother embodiments, the check valve 8156 can be replaced with anothermechanism, e.g., a piston or pump that conveys the first products to thesecond reaction zone 8120.

At the second reaction zone 8120, the first products from the firstreaction zone 8110 undergo an exothermic reaction, for example:2CO+2H₂+2′H₂→CH₃OH+HEAT  [Equation R8-2]

The foregoing exothermic reaction can be conducted at a temperature ofapproximately 250° C. and in many cases at a pressure higher than thatof the endothermic reaction in the first reaction zone 8110. To increasethe pressure at the second reaction zone 8120, the system 8100 caninclude an additional constituent source 8154 (e.g. a source ofhydrogen) that is provided to the second reaction zone 8120 via a valve8151 c and corresponding actuator 8152 c. The additional constituent(e.g. hydrogen, represented by 2′H₂ in Equation R8-2) can pressurize thesecond reaction zone with or without necessarily participating as aconsumable in the reaction identified in Equation R8-2. In particular,the additional hydrogen may be produced at pressure levels beyond 1,500psi, e.g., up to about 5,000 psi or more, to provide the increasedpressure at the second reaction zone 8120. In a representativeembodiment, the additional hydrogen may be provided in a separatedissociation reaction using methane or another reactant. For example,the hydrogen can be produced in a separate endothermic reaction,independent of the reactions at the first and second reaction zones8110, 8120, as follows:CH₄+HEAT→C+2H₂  [Equation R8-3]

In addition to producing hydrogen for pressurizing the second reactionzone 8120, the foregoing reaction can produce carbon suitable to serveas a building block in the production of any of a variety of suitableend products, including polymers, self-organizing carbon-basedstructures such as graphene, carbon composites, and/or other materials.Further examples of suitable products are included in co-pending U.S.application Ser. No. 12/027,214 previously concurrently herewith andincorporated herein by reference.

The reaction at the second reaction zone 8120 can be facilitated with asuitable catalyst, for example, copper, zinc, aluminum and/or compoundsincluding one or more of the foregoing elements. The product resultingfrom the reaction at the second reaction zone 8120 (e.g. methanol) iscollected at the product collector 8123. Accordingly, the methanol exitsthe second reaction zone 8120 at a second product port 8122 and passesthrough a second heat exchanger 8140 b. At the second heat exchanger8140 b, the methanol travels along a third flow path 8143 and transfersheat to the incoming constituents provided to the first reaction zone8110 along a fourth flow path 8144. Accordingly, the two heat exchangers8140 a, 8140 b can increase the overall efficiency of the reactionstaking place in the reactor vessel 8101 by conserving and recycling theheat generated at the first and second reaction zones.

In a particular embodiment, energy is provided to the first reactionzone 8110 via the solar concentrator 8103 described above with referenceto Figure R8-2. Accordingly, the energy provided to the first reactionzone 8110 by the solar collector 8103 will be intermittent. The system8100 can include a supplemental energy source that allows the reactionsto continue in the absence of sufficient solar energy. In particular,the system 8100 can include a supplemental heat source 8155. Forexample, the supplemental heat source 8155 can include a combustionreactant source 8155 a (e.g. providing carbon monoxide) and an oxidizersource 8155 b (e.g. providing oxygen). The flows from the reactantsource 8155 a and oxidizer source 8155 b are controlled by correspondingvalves 8151 d, 8151 e, and actuators 8152 d, 8152 e. In operation, thereactant and oxidizer are delivered to the reactor vessel 8101 viacorresponding conduits 8157 a, 8157 b. The reactant and oxidizer can bepreheated within the reactor vessel 8101, before reaching a combustionzone 8130, as indicated by arrow B. At the combustion zone 8130, thecombustion reactant and oxidizer are combusted to provide heat to thefirst reaction zone 8110, thus supporting the endothermic reactiontaking place within the first reaction zone 8110 in the absence ofsufficient solar energy. The result of the combustion can also yieldcarbon dioxide, thus reducing the need for carbon dioxide from thecarbon dioxide source 8153 b. The controller 8190 can control when thesecondary heat source 8155 is activated and deactivated, e.g., inresponse to a heat or light sensor.

In another embodiment, the oxygen provided by the oxidizer source 8155 bcan react directly with the methane at the combustion zone 8130 toproduce carbon dioxide and hydrogen. This in turn can also reduce theamount of carbon dioxide required at the first reaction zone 8110. Stillfurther embodiments of suitable exothermic/endothermic reactors aredisclosed in pending U.S. application Ser. No. 13/027,060, filed Feb.14, 2011, and incorporated herein by reference.

The following U.S. non-provisional applications describe additionalembodiments of thermochemical reactors and associated systems, are filedconcurrently herewith, and are incorporated herein by reference:

U.S. Ser. No. 13/584,748, titled “FUEL-CELL SYSTEMS OPERABLE IN MULTIPLEMODES FOR VARIABLE PROCESSING OF FEEDSTOCK MATERIALS AND ASSOCIATEDDEVICES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS”;

U.S. Ser. No. 13/584,741, titled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COLLECTING ANDPROCESSING PERMAFROST GASES, AND FOR COOLING PERMAFROST”;

U.S. Ser. No. 13/584,688, titled “GEOTHERMAL ENERGIZATION OF ANON-COMBUSTION CHEMICAL REACTOR AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS”;

U.S. Ser. No. 13/584,708, titled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR EXTRACTING ANDPROCESSING GASES FROM SUBMERGED SOURCES”;

U.S. Ser. No. 13/584,749, titled “MOBILE TRANSPORT PLATFORMS FORPRODUCING HYDROGEN AND STRUCTURAL MATERIALS, AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS ANDMETHODS”; and

U.S. Ser. No. 13/584,786, titled “REDUCING AND/OR HARVESTING DRAG ENERGYFROM TRANSPORT VEHICLES, INCLUDING FOR CHEMICAL REACTORS, AND ASSOCIATEDSYSTEMS AND METHODS”.

From the foregoing, it will appreciated that specific embodiments of thetechnology have been described herein for purposes of illustration, butthat various modifications may be made without deviating from thetechnology. For example, the reactor can be located at any site suitablefor receiving energy and constituents in the manner described above.Accordingly, at least some components of the reactor system andassociated devices can be located on land or beneath the water'ssurface. The turbines described above can be replaced with otherexpansion devices, e.g., other work-extracting devices, includingpositive displacement devices. The support 300 can be placed at aperipheral edge of the film 302, or configured to communicate with thecenter of the film 302 via piping and/or other conveying structures. Inother embodiments, the film 302 may be provided with a pathway betweenouter perimeter 301 b and inner perimeter 301 a to permit travel to andfrom the support 300, or the film 302 can be coupled to a rigid floatingstructure providing a walkway to hold components of support 300 or tohold conduits extending from the support 300 to the outer perimeter 301b. In another embodiment, a portion of the warm water provided by thewater volume 312 can be directed to the membrane 206 to warm the waterunder the membrane 206. In still other embodiments, the solar energyprovided to the film may be enhanced with the use of reflecting surfacesthat direct additional sunlight to the film. The reactor can bepositioned directly over a target region of the ocean floor from whichthe donor substance is collected, as shown in FIG. 2, or the reactor canbe laterally offset from the target region while still being locatedabove the target region. In some embodiments, the films and/or filmassemblies described above float at the surface of the water. In otherembodiments, portions of the films and/or film assemblies can be locatedabove or below the surface. In general, the buoyant characteristics ofthe film and/or film assembly place it at a desired vertical locationrelative to the water's surface, so that it is positioned over at leasta portion of the body of water.

Certain aspects of the technology described in the context of particularembodiments may be combined or eliminated in other embodiments. Forexample, certain embodiments described above as requiring heat or asdissipating heat can collect and use waste heat as a source of energyfor a dissociation process, e.g., via internal heat exchangers. Thecombustion products and/or water reactants described above withreference to FIG. 1 can be eliminated in at least some embodiments.Further while advantages associated with certain embodiments of thetechnology have been described in the context of those embodiments,other embodiments may also exhibit such advantages, and not allembodiments need necessarily exhibit such advantages to fall within thescope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the present disclosure andassociated technology can encompass other embodiments not expresslyshown or described herein.

I claim:
 1. A system for collecting, storing, and conveying thermalenergy, comprising: a transmissive film assembly having a planar lowersurface disposed in or on a body of water, an upper surface, and aplurality of cells between the upper and lower surfaces, the filmassembly having an inner region and an outer region; an outer curtaincoupled to the outer region and an inner curtain coupled to the innerregion to define a volume of water under the film between the inner andouter curtains; at least one intermediate curtain carried by the filmassembly between the inner and outer curtains to define a channel; aconduit communicating with the volume of water proximate to the innercurtain; a TCP reactor system disposed proximate to the film assembly,the TCP reactor system comprising at least one non-combustive chemicalreactor in communication with a source of hydrocarbons, the at least onenon-combustive chemical reactor configured to dissociate hydrocarbons; agenerator electrically coupled to the at least one non-combustivechemical reactor, and a turbine coupled to the volume of water proximateto the inner curtain to extract power from the volume of water, theturbine being coupled to the generator to drive the generator.
 2. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the channel is a spiral channel.
 3. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein at least one of the inner curtain, the outercurtain, and the at least one intermediate curtain is coupled to atleast one of a weight and a curtain air pocket.
 4. The system of claim1, further comprising a plurality of barrier curtains disposed in thechannel and varying in length along a length of the channel.
 5. Thesystem of claim 4, wherein the plurality of barrier curtains areprogressively shorter along the length of the channel.
 6. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the conduit is coupled to at least one of anon-combustive chemical reactor, a source of hydrocarbons, and a heatexchanger.
 7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a solarcollector disposed between the volume of water and the turbine to heatwater entering the turbine.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein theturbine includes a water outlet coupled to a storage vessel for freshwater.
 9. The system of claim 7, further comprising: a heat exchanger influid communication with the turbine, the heat exchanger disposed in thevolume of water; and a condenser in fluid communication with theturbine.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the turbine, the heatexchanger, and the condenser define a closed loop system circulating aworking fluid comprising at least one of water, ammonia, Freon, propane,butane, and SO₂.
 11. A method of collecting and conveying thermal energyin a body of water, comprising: deploying a film in or on the body ofwater, the film having a lower surface defining a pathway for themovement of warmed water under the film extending from an outer regionof the film to an inner region of the film; conveying solar energythrough an upper surface of the film to warm the volume of waterdisposed under the film; moving the warmed water along the pathwaytoward the inner region of the film; conveying heat from the warmedwater to a non-combustive chemical reactor; and dissociating ahydrocarbon in the chemical reactor to produce hydrogen.
 12. The methodof claim 11, further comprising: conveying heat from the warmed water toa volume of water disposed on an ocean floor.
 13. The method of claim11, further comprising: using heat from the warmed water to generateelectrical power.
 14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:conveying heat from the warmed water to a source of hydrocarbons tocause the release of hydrocarbon from the source of hydrocarbons;transporting the hydrocarbons to a non-combustion chemical reactor; anddissociating the hydrocarbons in the chemical reactor to producehydrogen.